The Wonders of a Neko
by Sunshine-Girl234
Summary: A mysterious rumor is going on throughout the Hidden Rain Village and the Hidden Storm Village; a cat-like girl is living in the forest and is surprisingly fast for one without chakra. What exactly is going on in the forest, why is this girl so interested in the Uchiha clan, and who is Nekomimi? Rated T for violence and strong language occasionally.
1. Prologue: Neko

**Alrighty, I wanted to try something different and you'll be amazed: I'm not using the Akatsuki in this story! I know, huge shocker. Anyways, I hope you like this interesting story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Her flaming red fur stood out dully in the shadows of the fairly popular bar. Her eyes were closed as she listened intently on the conversations of the people in the bar. She wasn't trying to over hear anything in particular; all she wanted to hear was an interesting rumor The cat opened her emerald green eyes and glanced around at the many shinobi chatting in the room.

The cat stretched its limbs before walking over to the window and jumping on the ledge; she then vanished and appeared on the other side of the window into the cool, night air. This peculiar cat was on its way to the Leaf Village to watch the Chuunin Exams. Why was she interested in the exams? Simple: rumors of the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre came from that area, and the Hokage had invited her. _'Hopefully I can shed some light into a growing, dark heart...'_ she thought as she broke off into a run.

This cat was well aware of how prideful the Uchiha Clan was and she had been hoping to prevent the lone survivor from becoming an avenger. As the only one of her kind she knew it was stressful to carry the burden of being a loner and an outcast. She saw two travelers a few feet away and decided to eavesdrop as the cat made its way to her destination. Her cat eyes made out two silhouettes of gennin from the Hidden Rain Village.

"I've heard some pretty unusual rumors about that forest," the man on the left said.

"You mean the forest that leads to the Hidden Storm Village?" the second one asked.

"Yeah, people have been saying something about a cat-like woman living there; they say she has no chakra but can outrun any Kage and can even disappear into thin air easily," the first shinobi replied.

"I doubt that story is true; if she did exist she'd at least have some chakra."

"That's just it, they say she's from a race that's gone extinct."

A grin spread across the cat's face, _'so they do know of my species. Here I thought the nekos were long forgotten.'_

"How about we investigate after the Chuunin Exams?" the second one suggested.

A third Rain gennin came out, "The path ahead is clear."

_'So these gennin are heading to the Leaf as well...'_ the cat thought; her grin never left her face. _'Maybe I should mess with them.'_

The cat suddenly turned invisible before she spoke out loud, "So you've heard rumors of a mysterious girl in a forest, huh?

The three gennin froze and began looking around frantically. "Who's there?!" the third one asked.

A pair of cat-like eyes and a grinning mouth appeared before the trio, "I'm nothing more than that rumor you were just talking about."

"S-So that would mean you're-" The first one began before the invisible cat made herself able to be seen completely; only, she was no longer a cat.

Chin-length, flaming red hair shaped the girl's beautiful pale face. Her emerald green eyes stood out against her complexion. Cat ears matching her hair color extended from her head. Her top consisted of a strapless, leather top that only covered her breasts and left the rest of her upper torso exposed. Black, leather short-shorts and knee-high, heeled boots were the only clothing on her lower body. A short-haired, long tail extended from her backside as it swayed back and forth. A jingle was heard from a collar that held a bell on it rested on her neck. "Don't look so surprised, meow," the girl said; the grin was still on her face.

"Who are you?" the third man demanded.

"Call me Cheshire; I'll see you at the exams," she winked before once again vanishing.

Instead of just transporting a mere few feet away, she found herself at her destination: the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. She yawned as she walked up to the gate keepers who blinked at the girl's appearance. They never had seen anything like the girl before them. "Who are you and state your business," the male with shaggy hair and white bandages covering his nose said.

"Ah, the no fun check-in business, meow," the girl said before grinning, "I'm Cheshire; the Hokage had invited me to come and watch."

"How do you know the Hokage?" the same male asked.

"My grandfather knew him from a mission or something like that," Cheshire replied letting her body turn invisible to mess with the gate keepers; her grin grew when she noticed that they were freaking out.

"I'm Kotetsu, and this is Izumo," the nose bandaged man said handing the girl a pass.

"It's a pleasure to meet you boys, meow," Cheshire said, "If you don't mind though, I'm going to make my way up to my room at the inn."

Izumo nodded as the girl yet again disappeared.

Cheshire entered her room at the inn and glanced out the window at the moon. It was a nice night and today would definitely make for an interesting one if she met up with those Rain gennin again. With a yawn the girl stretched and then curled up on the bed and instantly fell asleep with her bedroom window opened.

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**I hope you readers like the Prologue. I went ahead and tried to do something with the Cheshire cat since no one was giving me feedback. I really need it cause I'm not feeling very motivated to write my stories here lately. Anyways, let me know what you think of this story!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Sand Genin

**The next chapter is already out xD I know I shouldn't focus on just one story at the moment, but I just had the urge to continue it. This story already seems to be getting popular so I'll try to update this story as often as I can.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I do have Hidan's ring though~**

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The neko yawned as she stretched in her bed in the sunlight that was flooding into her room. She could already tell that it was almost nine in the morning by how warm the sun felt on her skin, but she just wanted to sleep and soak up the warmth of the sun; that is until the tweeting of a bird caught her attention. Cheshire's head snapped up as her eyes locked on the bird; she slowly got into a crouched position before turning into a cat and chasing after the small, blue bird onto the roof tops. Adrenalin pumped through her veins as she caught up to the fleeing animal; just as she was about to pounce for the kill a rock hit her side. She glanced around while glaring daggers until her eyes locked onto a blonde genin in an orange jump suit standing next to three academy kids that looked nothing less than snobby. "Hey, stupid cat, leave that bird alone!" he shouted.

Cheshire's glare intensified as she jumped down off of the building and began walking towards the boy; he just ruined her meal. "That cat is kind of creepy, Boss," one of the kids said; he had brown hair and a long scarf dragging on the ground.

The blonde looked over at the three younger kids and the cat used this opportunity to turn invisible and spy on the group. "I don't see how it's scary; it's just a cat," the blonde said before turning back and facing where the cat was. "Hey, where'd it go?!"

Cheshire grinned as she continued creeping closer to the group. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a bubble gum pink haired kunoichi not too far off from the group. "So boss, are you free today?" the boy with the scarf on asked.

"Nope! I'm training!" the blonde said pointing his thumb at himself.

"What?! But you said you'd play ninja with us today!"

"Oh...Haha, oh yeah."

The pink haired kunoichi suddenly got a dark aura around her, "Um..why would a ninja 'play' ninja..?"

"Hey Boss, who's this girl?" the boy asked looking up at the blonde.

It was silent for a moment before the young boy hit his fist into his palm as if he figured something out, "Not bad, Boss."

"Huh?" the dense ninja asked.

"She's your girlfriend," the brat said.

Cheshire sweat-dropped at the scene before her; never did she imagine that the Leaf's gennin could wind up this dense.

"Wow, you brats are very perceptive..." the blonde said as he blushed some.

All of a sudden the pink haired girl punched the blonde idiot into a nearby wooden fence, "Wrong!"

The three younger kids stood their shocked, "Boss!"

Once again the kid in the scarf turned towards the pink haired girl, "How dare you! You ugly bitch!"

_Pow!_ the pink haired girl had also punched the little brat's head.

"Konohamaru-kun, are you alright?" a sickly looking boy asked.

"Damn it...that ugly huge foreheaded..is that really a girl? Seriously, Boss?" Konohamaru asked as he nursed his bruised head.

All of a sudden the pink haired genin chased all four of the brats a little ways before Konohamaru ran into a pair of Sand Genin. The male had on a black jump suit and what looked like ears coming off the top of his head; on his back he carried a weird sack with black fur of some kind. The female had four ponytails on her head and a large fan on her back. The pair looked down at Konohamaru.

He then picked the young brat up by the shirt, "That hurt, you piece of shit."

The blonde looked at her teammate with a disapproving look, "Don't, we'll get yelled at later."

"I'm sorry, I was messing around," the pink haired girl said timidly.

"Hey, fatass! Let go of him!" the blonde brat shouted.

"Let's play a little before the boss comes," the Sand male said.

"Bastard!" the blonde male said as he darted at the pair of Sand ninja.

The Sand male twitched his finger and the blonde brat slipped and fell.

A wide grin spread across the cat's face, _'So he is a puppet master...interesting indeed.'_

The Sand genin began chuckling, "Oh Leaf Genins...are weak."

Cheshire began laughing out loud, "Oh this is rich!"

The group froze in confusion and began looking around. "Here I thought that all Genins were at least somewhat respectful of their neighboring villages, but I was proven wrong indeed, meow," she said as her emerald green eyes and her large grin showed suspended in mid air in front of the group.

The blonde leaf genin paled at the sight of only a pair of floating eyes and mouth, "W-What are you?"

Cheshire allowed her head to become visible as she grinned at the boy, "My my my what a surprise; the blonde brat wants information when his brain lacks the capacity to think on its own, meow."

"What's your name?" the Sand male asked looking at the girl's head with narrowed eyes.

Cheshire allowed her whole body to be visible as she continued grinning, "What's in a name? I personally find no interest in learning one's name unless there is more to it than just the name of a brat." The cat girl vanished then appeared directly behind him, "But I am curious about a puppet master; be courteous and give a name before I tell you mine, meow."

"K-Kankuro," he replied whipping around to look directly at the girl.

"Hmm...lost interest, nya," Cheshire said starting to walk off, "You brats better be careful in the exam. Nothing is as what it seems and not everything is black and white, meow."

"Hey, you never gave me your name," Kankuro said.

The cat girl looked over her shoulder and grinned, "You can call me Cheshire; it means the grinning cat. Speaking of which...you, in the orange jump suit."

"Huh? Me?" he asked pointing to himself.

"Yes, you prevented me from catching my meal this morning...You'll regret that later. The next time you throw a stone at me while I'm hunting, I'll use you as my next meal, meow," Cheshire said before continuing to walk.

Konohamaru paled visibly, "See, Boss, I told you that cat was weird!"

The ninja continued their fiasco as Cheshire teleported to where the Jonin were gathering to submit their teams into the exams, "Sorry I'm late, meow."

All the Jonin tensed at the sudden arrival of a new person without even sensing them. "It's good to see you again, Cheshire," the Third Hokage said with a smirk.

Cheshire bowed, "The pleasure is mine, nya."

"Hokage-sama, who is this?" a man recognized as the Copy-nin asked.

"This, Kakashi, is none other than Cheshire; she is the last of her species the Neko," the third replied.

They all stared at the girl who was currently interested in the curtains blowing slightly in the wind. "As you can see she is part cat, but her intelligence is greater than what she lets on," the Hokage added.

"So what are your abilities, Cheshire?" a man with a cigarette in his mouth asked.

Cheshire looked at the man before making her body with the exception of her head disappear, "I can do as I please."

"Are you participating in the exam?" Kakashi asked.

"No, I'm here mainly to watch to prevent any deaths from happening to the best of my ability," Cheshire replied.

"So besides making your body disappear, what else can you-"

"I'm bored now," Cheshire interrupted the Jonin with red eyes.

The Hokage chucked, "Because she's part cat she also gets bored easily; however, there is one thing she doesn't get bored with."

Cheshire looked at the Hokage with interest, "You remember that I like games?"

"That's the one thing you don't get bored with."

The red head grinned before allowing the rest of her body vanish, "I'm off to make sure things are going well in the village and maybe take a cat nap, meow."

And with that the cat left the building and returned to the inn only to walk in the direction of the trio of Sand ninja. "Hey, it's you from before," Kankuro said.

The blonde's eyes narrowed in Cheshire's direction, "What are you doing here?"

The girl grinned, "I don't know if you've noticed, but this is an inn; I happen to be staying here as well."

"What village are you from? I don't see a headband," a boy with red hair said.

"Ah, I don't have a village, meow. I'm an outcast due to my appearance; I'm here because the Hokage invited me," Cheshire replied her tail twitching in irritation.

"Why don't you just go to your room, Cheshire?" the blonde said.

Cheshire smirked, "I was already heading there." She then vanished and reappeared in her room, "Damn snobby brats..."

The cat returned to her bed and curled up into the warmth of the sun.

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**Alright, about the whole cat losing interest in things, most cats do lose interest rather quickly unless they are receiving attention or they are playing with a favorite toy. Cats also enjoy their sleep and get distracted rather easily. Hopefully I can keep Cheshire in character with all the events that will happen. I know I said I'm not writing about the Akatsuki, but that doesn't mean they won't be in the story. I would think that Pein would be curious about a cat-girl in his forest since he is a god and might send someone to investigate. Anyways, let me know what you think about the chapter please~**


	3. Chapter 3: A New Enemy

**I figured writing in first person would make it easier to write the story, and I was right. I know it's still not that long, but eventually it will get there. Oh, and please let me know if any of the characters seem out of place to you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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My eyes snapped open during in the middle of the night as I heard faint footsteps on the roof; irritated at the sudden awakening I climbed out the window and made my way to the roof top to see the red-headed boy from earlier that day. His eyes locked onto mine and his eyes narrowed. "I don't want any trouble; I just heard foot falls on the roof and came to investigate, meow," I said as I yawned.

He just seemed to ignore me and looked ahead.

"You must have a very bad case of insomnia in order to have such dark rings around your eyes; either that or there is more to you than meets the eye," I mentioned taking a seat.

"Why are you trying to talk?" the boy asked.

"Forgive me, I was merely wanting to get acquainted, meow," I said as my ears twitched in the warm air. "I do have to say this though...you shouldn't have been treated the way you were."

I felt his gaze instantly land on my back, "What exactly do you know? You know nothing of my past."

"Your behavior and coldness towards others tells me you were betrayed by those close to you because of a decision that you didn't have a say so in. Your unnatural insomnia pattern tells me that you have never slept a day in your life and there is a reason for it. I can tell you exactly what the cause is with one word, meow," I said turning my head so I can see him.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, "I highly doubt you know."

"Shikaku. The one tailed demon is sealed inside of your body..." I said quietly as I looked at the moon.

Tension in the air immediately shot up. "What do you know about what I went through?" his cold voice asked.

"You forget my appearance; I'm part cat part human otherwise known as a Neko. I am the last of my species. Most people avoid me like the plague because I'm not human; instead of shunning myself from the world I blame the humans for my problems. I would be living in a village if you humans would learn to accept the strange and bizarre. That's just merely wishful thinking though; What person would be accepting of something that isn't one of their own and is unpredictable, nya?" I asked looking into his cold eyes. "We are a like in a way: we both are hated for something that was not what we asked for. You unknowingly and unwillingly became a host for a tailed beast; I was born with unnatural features that were considered undesirable by the world."

"Stay out of my way or I'll kill you," he threatened glaring right back.

"And I don't doubt that; you smell of sand and blood. I can tell you are very powerful and you should be respected, meow," I said as I stood up. "I wish you the best of luck in the Chuunin Exams, Gaara."

His eyes widened a little, "How do you know my name; I didn't tell you."

"There is more to me than meets the eye, meow," I grinned.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, "You will leave now..."

I turned invisible before speaking, "You should be known as a hero for saving the village from the tailed beast instead of being a cast away from society. Darkness has swallowed you, but there is still hope." I transported back to my room and stretched before turning myself back into a cat.

I listened intently as I tried to locate the voices of the trio of Rain Genin. I wanted to use them to get into the exam buildings to keep an eye on the different brats entering the challenge. _'The Hokage will probably have me as an exam proctor or something if I'm to prevent any deaths...I'll need to insist he stick me in some of the areas to watch over them...'_ I thought as I jumped onto my bed and curled up, _'Yes...humans tend to overlook the tiniest details that spell extreme danger...'_

I yawned tiredly before resting my head on my paws and sleep took over not long after.

My ear twitched in irritation the following morning; someone was knocking on my door. I continued to rest in the sun with my eyes closed as I let the person continued colliding their knuckles onto the wooden structure. "Cheshire, the Hokage insisted that you let us show you around Konoha," a male voice recognizable as the man with the cigarette said.

I glared at the door, "It's open, meow."

The doorknob turned and in stepped said male along with his three genin. The man blinked at the sight of a cat instead of my human form. "You have to come get me this early in the morning, nya?" I asked as I stretched.

"Y-You can talk!" the blonde female pointed.

"Thank you, miss point out the obvious," I snapped irritably.

The Jonin cleared his throat, "I never introduced myself; I'm Asuma, and this is my team Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji."

I turned into my human form before nodding my head, "Hello, pleased to meet you; I'm Cheshire."

"That's an unusual name," the girl known as Ino said.

I glared at her as my tail twitched irritably, "Says the one with pig as a name, meow."

Ino glared right back, "What's your name supposed to mean?"

I grinned, "Cheshire is short for the Cheshire Cat which means the grinning cat."

"You're a Neko," the male known as Shikamaru stated.

My grin widened, "There is hope for humanity after all; tell me, dear friend, did you guess or figure it out?"

"At least I don't have cat ears and tail..." I heard Ino mutter as she crossed her arms.

My head snapped in her direction and my glare intensified tenfold, "What did you just say, nya? You think I chose to be born with these extra appendages?"

"Hey, knock it off, both of you; the Hokage asked us to show Cheshire around the village so that's what we are going to do," Asuma said.

My tail twitched but I walked ahead and stepped out into the hallway. I intentionally brushed my tail against Ino's face as I walked by her. "I never asked yesterday, but what kind of games do you like to play?" I heard Asuma ask.

I instantly gained interest and looked at him as my ears perked up, "I love games of riddles; do you know any good ones, meow?"

This time Shikamaru spoke, "What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?"

I grinned widely as I looked at him, "I am indeed liking this fellow; the answer is a river, meow. Now, I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?"

Shikamaru was silent for a moment as he though; then he answered, "The future."

I laughed a bit as my ears twitched in happiness, "It is indeed, meow!"

"Do you play shoji?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hmm, I used to. I stopped playing after my first brother died; he was the only one who could match my intelligence, meow," I replied as my eyes locked onto a butterfly.

"Your family died?" Choji asked munching on a bag of chips.

"Bored now!" I said with a yawn. Today was going to be an interesting one.

"So the only thing that keeps you from being bored is a game of riddles?" Ino asked.

"Riddles have hidden meanings and make you think before you answer; it may seem ridiculous to some, but to me they're intriguing. Everything has a hidden meaning so for me riddles are a way to get others to see past me being a strange creature, meow," I replied.

"That sounds stupid," Ino said.

"Says the girl who knows nothing of the shinobi world; all you care about are boys and your looks. You lack the brains to lead a mission and are too reliable on the body you only think you have; you're a flat-chested, worthless bitch and I pity your teammates," I hissed; I growled in irritation before teleporting myself to the Hokage tower.

"I'm actually surprised to see you right now; I would have thought you were looking around with Asuma and his team of genin," the Third said as he looked up from his paperwork.

"I was, until Ino insulted me for the fourth time," I growled, "And besides, I need to talk to you about me being involved in the exams."

"You know you can't participate," the Hokage said.

"I'm not asking to participate, I'm saying that I want to help in the exams; allow me to do something so I can get a feel for each of the genin, meow."

"If you insist," he said before I once again took off in search of a way to entertain myself without getting involved with that blonde bitch by the name of 'Ino'.

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**I hope you guys like the chapter. I had to add a little girl drama in there because I am frustrated in real life; I have to have weekends off for my second job and they keep ignoring my requests and schedualing me anyways. They don't want me to quit yet they do this type of stuff...I don't get it. Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Cold Truth

**Alrighty, I felt inspired to write this chapter today and you'll be happy; it's longer than the other chapters. If you haven't figured out what Cheshire's overall plan is, you'll be finding out shortly. Also, I'll be willing to allow readers to submit an OC but be warned: only one will be accepted. When submitting please give me a lot of details so I won't have issues keeping the OC in character. With my Akatsuki Horses many of the OCs were either too typical or they didn't have enough information in order for me to use them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

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I sat on the Hokage Mountain in thought. I didn't know what to do and I was getting beyond bored. I wanted to explore, but that wouldn't be any fun without a risk of getting into trouble; then it clicked in my head, _'I should go through the Anbu mission scrolls...That would be fun to see if I could sneak by them while invisible and see what missions were completed...'_

With a goal in mind I turned invisible and immediately set out to the Anbu headquarters. Danzo was never fond of my species so I wanted to piss him off further; he would know who went through the scrolls, but no one would believe him. I didn't know why he hated the Nekos so much, but I didn't care at the moment. After I successfully entered the building without getting caught I immediately set off to find the completed mission scrolls. I passed by a door that screamed suspicion and I teleported to the other side to see what I was indeed looking for; the room with the mission scrolls. _'My my my, they left the room unattended...How disappointing. you'd think they would be more intelligent than to leave the room unprotected. Then again they wouldn't think anyone but a ninja would try to sneak in...'_ I thought as I began pulling out scrolls and reading them.

The scrolls varied from successful capturing to assassinations of all sorts. The good thing about my memory is that it is an extreme form of a photographic memory; all I have to do is glance at something and it is immediately memorized. I continued with my scanning until I came across a scroll that looked like it was from years ago. I opened it up and my eyes went wide; it was the scroll with the mission of the Uchiha Massacre. It wasn't the fact that it was an order that surprised me. What had surprised me was that my theory of it was indeed a conspiracy. I transported the scroll to my tree house before continuing my search. Why did I send it there? I did so if I am searched for the scroll no one would find it.

Seeing that scroll made me wonder what else was a cover up. I immediately tensed when I read the next scroll; it was the order of the killing of the Neko race. Details of what had happened during the mission were written in there as well. I transported that scroll to my home as well and then stood up from the floor in which I was sitting; they messed with my life, I'll mess with them. I grinned as I took all the scrolls out of the shelves and began rearranging them in no particular order or fashion. I made the room completely disorganized before teleporting out of the room and back into the streets of Konoha.

I felt sick to my stomach; I never thought that the Third Hokage had agreed to allow my clan to be destroyed. I couldn't understand why they tried to cover up everything and blame it on other people instead of explaining why it happened. I let myself be visible as I looked at the ground while walking. I considered the Third as a friend yet he turned his back on me; I knew I shouldn't have trusted anyone, and I regret doing so now. "Hey you're Cheshire, right?" I heard a girl ask.

I looked up and saw Kakashi with his group of genin. The pink haired girl is the one who had spoken. "Yeah, I'm surprised you remember, meow," I said as I grinned.

"I thought Asuma said that he was ordered to show you around," Kakashi said.

"He was showing me around until a girl named Ino decided to insult me, nya," I growled. "I may be different, but the Nekos are a very proud race and don't take insults lightly, meow."

"Sounds like drama to me," a boy with raven black hair remarked.

"Not trying to be rude, but I need names, meow," I said as my ear twitched.

"Of course; this is my squad Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke," Kakashi introduced pointing to each of his members.

I bowed politely, "It's nice to meet you; hopefully we can get along better than I do with Ino, meow."

"So what exactly did she say that pissed you off?" Naruto asked.

"She said that I looked weird and also thought that she thought that my liking for riddles is stupid, meow," I replied. "She's lucky I just called her a flat-chested bitch and left it at that. Last person who did insult me ended up in the hospital for two months, nya."

Kakashi deadpanned, "You should take into consideration that the genin in the village have never seen a Neko or heard of a name like Cheshire; to them it is strange."

"I understand, but it's still insulting, nya," I remarked. "Do you guys mind if I watch you train? I'm curious."

"Sure; I don't know if you'll be entertained or not though since they're all D-Rank missions," Kakashi replied.

"I can make them interesting, meow," I grinned. I then looked over at Naruto, "I'm sorry for yesterday; maybe we can start over, nya?"

Naruto blinked before nodding, "Sure."

I smirked as we walked to a garden area. I could easily sense competition radiating off of Naruto and Sasuke. Something happened during a mission to make them rivals. "Okay, our mission is to weed this herb garden," Kakashi said.

The Genin nodded before setting to work. I noticed Naruto cast a glance at Sasuke before he began pulling out everything that was in the bed. I tried not to snicker as a huge grin made its way onto my face; that kid was going to piss off the owner. Sure enough when she saw what the blonde idiot had done she punched him. I began laughing at the blonde in sheer amusement.

"It isn't hard to get you entertained at all, is it?" Kakashi asked.

"No, but keeping me entertained is a different matter entirely, meow," I said.

"How old are you anyways?" Sakura asked as we headed back in town.

"Hmm...next month I'll be turning sixteen, why, nya?" I asked.

"I'm kind of amazed you aren't trailing after boys," Kakashi remarked.

"Do you like someone?" Sakura asked with interest.

I glanced at Sakura, "No, I'm not interested in boys; I'm searching for a purpose in life and so far the only one I found hasn't been able to become an opportunity to change anything just yet. I must be patient and let things happen naturally, meow."

"What's your goal?" Kakashi asked.

"To hopefully prevent a heart from turning to darkness," I replied before looking at the sky, "I've seen nothing but darkness and all I want is to change the fate that has been layed out to extinguish the blackness threatening to swallow the shinobi world. Humans have become blinded by those in control to notice the signs of danger, meow."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked as I felt his eyes narrow at me.

"It will make itself known when the time is right; this isn't the moment to do so, nya," I said. "Pay close attention to your surroundings and remember this: there is more to everything than what meets the eye. When you think you get to know someone you learn of a side you never knew they had; a teammate or a leader could have the darkest heart or could be hiding something to keep himself a mystery and to appear more than what they are, meow."

"That makes no sense," Naruto said.

"It makes perfect sense if you look beyond the obvious meaning, meow," I stated.

"I think you're just saying it just to cause confusion in our team," Sakura said.

"You're thinking wrong, but I understand not wanting to trust a complete stranger, nya," I said. "I'll be taking my leave; I haven't eaten anything so I'm going to look for some food."

I then vanished and left the team to their thoughts. I laughed at myself because I had answered one of my thoughts about the Uchiha Massacre; they didn't want to look like power hungry leaders so they ordered a powerful clan dead. I looked over all my information I had retrieved throughout my years living and the signs of corruption became more obvious as I continued thinking; I was glad that I wasn't tied to a village and did as I pleased.

I went to the ramen shop and ordered me pork ramen. While I was waiting Asuma had entered the curtains, "You didn't have to run off like that."

"I didn't want to listen to anymore insults from that human, nya. She doesn't know me so it was unnecessary to insult me, meow," I said.

"I get it, but we were ordered to watch you and you made it difficult to do so," he remarked.

My right ear twitched when he mentioned that, "You were ordered to watch me...The Hokage ordered it, or was it Danzo who suggested it, nya?"

Asuma looked rather shocked, "It was both..."

I nodded before paying the man and getting up without even eating, "Tell them I say this: You can't keep tabs on someone who is free to make their own decisions; you want to make sure I'm not trying to undermine the Hokage then get better security. I got passed everyone and spoke to the Hokage already."

Asuma looked taken aback, "You already saw the Hokage today?"

"I did right after I left your group, meow," I replied before letting myself turn invisible. "Now I'm heading to my own place to rest for a bit near the village; I don't want you humans to spy on me while I sleep."

And with that I transported myself into the training grounds and layed down in a tree; yes, this would have to do with the traitorous bastards wanting to keep an eye out on me.

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**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter; like I said if you want to submit an OC I have a good idea what part the OC will play in. It doesn't matter for gender; and as previously mentioned only one will be selected. Also, I do appreciate reviews because they help inspire me to write the next chapter; they aren't necessary but I do love all the reviews that come in even the flame reviews. Anyways, hope you all have a good day :3**


	5. Chapter 5: The Branches of Nekos

**I know, long time no post, but I like I mentioned in 'A Wolf Family' I'm currently going in and out of fanfiction mood and not feeling any inspiration to post any chapters. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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I had been watching the humans do their every day routines for the last couple of days and I couldn't help but notice more and more of the Anbu walking around the village. I had a feeling that Danzo noticed the two missing scrolls and was out looking for me to retrieve the information that had been taken; he also now had a reason to extinguish me. _'Pathetic...humans don't change at all. The more powerful branch controls the mission and wants to take down anything that can undermine their whole plan...'_ I thought as I watched an Anbu dart out of the gates.

I was glad I said that I was going to be somewhere close to the village. Here in the training grounds I had seen many Jonin and their Genin train; the exams this year were definitely going to be challenging. My ear twitched as I heard people enter the training grounds; it was Kakashi's team much to my surprise. I watched as Naruto was dragged by a large dog into a mine field; I laughed to myself quietly at the sight of the blonde boy trying to pull the dog away and talking to the beast. Dogs were never the smartest animals on the planet. I wanted to say hello to the four, but I knew the second I showed myself the Anbu would immediately chase after me; the stubborn idiots didn't know they were going to lose this pointless pursuit.

I watched as Naruto tried to show off in front of Sakura while challenging the Uchiha. Looking into the onyx orbs of the raven haired boy I could see every emotion going through him; he was power hungry and wanted to destroy the person who hurt him. Darkness was engulfing the boy and soon there would be no light able to get through to him. I would need to change that here soon before it gets too late.

The group of Genin soon left the training grounds and I let out a sigh, "Before you decide to call out for me, I am here, Kakashi."

"Why are the Anbu looking for you, if I may ask?" Kakashi asked appearing at a branch near me.

"Let's just say my clan wasn't really liked by a certain person in the Anbu," I replied.

"What caused that to happen?" the masked ninja questioned.

"Since no one is truly familiar with the Neko species, I'll give you all the information I know, meow," I replied. "However, I cannot reveal myself to you because the Anbu will jump me the second I show myself outside of the Hokage's protection, nya."

"Fair enough," he agreed.

"Okay, before I start out with the reasoning behind the dislike of my clan I must tell you about the different branches of my kind. The most important branch is the Main Branch or the Royal Family; only those born with the royal mark or are swapped from a different branch are considered the Main Branch. They can have no master and generally have no names unless it is given from fur color, hair color, a great deed done, or a nickname due to a habit of some sorts, meow. They keep the balance among the other two branches; they're other function is to protect and choose the best course of action for the others, meow," I started, "Now the Main Branch can also decline the title and choose to be part of a different branch in which case a member of the branch chosen will be picked and sworn under oath, nya; However, the people picked from a lower branch cannot be shown all information or have the abilities of the Neko from a Main Branch. Information on the other two branches cannot be fully shared due to the fact it is top secret except by those born and accepting of the royal family.

"I guess you could say the next important would be the Guard Branch, nya. The title pretty much says it all; all they really do is go into battle if necessary and protect the other two branches to the best of their ability. They hold a general amount of knowledge over the Main Branch and the other, but nothing else of too much importance, meow. The names given to a Guard would depend if a human claims them and becomes their master by giving them a name or anything similar like the name giving to the Main Branch; the most common thing they were called was just The Guard or something like that.

"The last branch would be the one I belong to: the Cheshire Branch, meow. Cheshires are the most intelligent of all the branches and ones not to underestimate. We are cunning, sly, sneaky, intelligent, and most of all we are great at observing; we have an amazing photographic memory to memorize all jutsu hand signs on first sight without thinking twice. All of the jutsu originally performed have been memorized and stored in scrolls for other members to memorize in case one takes on a pupil or gains a master who needs the jutsus for immediate action. Like the Guard Branch a human can claim us and give us a name, otherwise it's nothing more than either the Branch name or known by a deed or whatnot."

"So the Anbu member who disagreed with your clan was afraid of the knowledge and the other skills your clan held and the lack of chakra and not being able to be sensed made the reason that much greater," Kakashi remarked.

"Exactly, nya," I said. "If you're wondering about the master thing, it can't just be any human that gives a Neko the name; the human will feel it in his or her heart and call out the name to claim one. I'm not sure how it works entirely, but that's the basic, meow."

Kakashi nodded, "I'm going to get going before the Anbu decide to come over here and investigate me talking to absolutely nothing."

And with that the masked ninja left me alone. I sighed as I curled up on the branch I was currently sitting on; I hated being alone, but I didn't really care for the way I was being treated by the Hokage when he invited me. I didn't have a say so in the matter so I didn't worry about it too much. With a yawn I covered my head with my arms and fell into a deep sleep.

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**I hope you readers enjoyed this chapter of my story and haven't abandoned me yet. The OC submitting is still taking place and will continue until I feel I have either found the right one or until it gets close to the time where I introduce the OC. With the story how I'm writing it the OC will not be introduced until further into the story after the Chuunin Exams take place.**

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6: The First Test

**Because I love you readers very much I decided to not only make this a long chapter, but also make it a humorous start of the wonderful Chuunin Exams! I tried to stick to the manga as much as possible, so if you don't like it, oh well :P jk. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; I only own my OC**

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Today was going to be a very busy and a very stressful day; it was the starting of the Chuunin Exams. I turned into a cat before letting myself be visible and began walking towards the Hokage building; my tail swayed as I walked keeping me in perfect balance. I was heading to the tower to find out what exactly my role would be in the first exam and whether or not it would be the best way for me to keep tabs on all of the current participating Genin. I hoped it wasn't something stupid in the first round, but all I could do was hope. I glanced around at all of the people hurrying about their lives and sighed, _'At least they know they have a purpose in life and are happy to accept it...'_

I looked ahead and saw Kakashi talking to his team; my guess would be that he was giving them encouraging words of sorts. After a while of walking I made it to the doors of the Hokage's door and I teleported to the other side. I turned to my neko self and walked up to the Hokage, "So what are you going to be having me do in the exams?"

"I can't have you as the person giving the first exam, but I can allow you to watch for those cheating or participate as a person who actually knows the answers to the written exam," he replied looking up from his paperwork.

I crossed my arms to think on it, "I think I could participate in the written exam; let me see the paper with the questions, meow."

With a nod the Hokage handed me the paper with the questions. I smirked as I continued scanning the paper; this test is rather challenging for Genins. I knew the answers though, so I came to a decision. "I'll definitely be participating, meow," I said handing the paper back.

"I thought you might say that; head to the third floor in room 301 in the academy. You are dismissed," the Hokage ordered.

I nodded and left the old geezer to do his work. I teleported straight to the academy entrance before making my way up the stairs. When I got to the second floor I noticed a bunch of kids trying to get in a room; since I was curious I decided to head over to said room and noticed the numbers 301. I smirked to the two boys standing in front of the room knowingly. _'These Genin are truly fools...they don't know that this is nothing more than a genjutsu,'_ I thought.

"Cute, but I have somewhere to be, nya," I said before walking away.

"You don't get it; these two are blocking the entrance to the first exam room," I girl said who had two buns in her hair.

"Yes, I do get it; obviously you don't, meow," I smirked before walking up the stairs to the third level and straight to room 301 where I saw Kakashi waiting for his team.

"You're participating in the exams?" the Jonin asked.

"Only helping; I don't have any team members, remember, meow?" I said. "Don't worry about your Genin, I'll watch over them. It may be against the rules, but I'm going to sneak my way into the first two parts of the exam to do my best to prevent any unnecessary events from happening, nya."

Kakashi smiled a bit before placing a hand on my head, "Thank you, but have some faith in my team."

"I do, it's other teams that I don't trust. Something evil is afoot; I feel it in my gut. My job here is to prevent any evil from happening, nya," I explained before opening the doors. "Best of luck to you, Kakashi."

He nodded as I entered the room to see a huge crowd of people looking over at me. I rolled my eyes as I walked over to an empty wall and leaned against it.

"Hey, isn't that that one girl we met outside of the bar? I think she said her name was Cheshire," I heard a familiar voice say.

My eyes scanned the room until I saw the three Rain Genin looking over at me. Boy did I hate being so popular at the moment. "Yeah, that's her alright. You think we should go over and talk to her?" the second one asked.

"No, we stay here and mind our own business; no need to get involved with the enemy team," the leader of the group announced.

I closed my eyes to let myself listen intently to my surroundings and eavesdrop on the conversations; I wanted information on the teams here so I figured the best way to learn would be to listen.

"Sasuke-kun! You're late!" I heard the voice of Ino and I immediately glared over in that direction to see her hanging on his shoulders.

With an eye roll I walked over to the group of Genin gathering around Kakashi's team and glared daggers at Ino. "Well, well, well...got yourself a crush, do you? Here's a news flash: Sasuke obviously doesn't like you hanging all over him; you want him to like you, stop trying to gain the unnecessary attention, meow," I snapped yanking her off of him and tossing her to the ground. I looked over at Sasuke, "She continues to annoy you, let me know, nya."

"Why do you care if I hang all over Sasuke or not? You like him?" Ino glared.

I grinned at her, "I don't; he's nothing more than a mere human with the same tragic back story as me. Your idiotic face was annoying me so I wanted to piss you off."

"Oh, the idiot trio!" Naruto said looking over at Choji and Shikamaru.

"Don't call us that!" Choji said.

"Man, what a drag..." Shikamaru announced with an annoyed look on his face.

"Sasuke-kun is mine! Bleh!" Ino stuck her tongue out and pulled down her right eyelid in a childish manner.

I rolled my eyes at her idiocy.

"Yahoo! Found you! " boy wearing a hoodie exclaimed walking over to the group; I cringed at the sight of a small dog sitting on top of his head.

With him came a boy in a trench coat and sunglasses and an extremely shy looking girl with very short hair...Similar to mine actually. "H-Hello..." the girl said with a small smile.

"Well well, everyone is assembled," dog boy said.

"Geez, you guys, too?" Shikamaru asked.

"I see...all nine of this year's Rookie Genin are taking the exam," the dog boy said. "I wonder how far we will get eh, Sasuke-kun?"

"Pft...you seem confident, Kiba," Sasuke remarked.

"We did a lot of training, we won't lose to you," Kiba said.

"Shut up! Sasuke might, but I won't lose to the likes of you!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sorry...Naruto...Kiba-Kun didn't mean it in that way..." the shy girl said poking her pointers together.

I snorted in amusement; so that girl had a crush on Naruto. Things were definitely going to be getting interesting. "You guys are cute, but I'm not sticking around; the tension in the air is rising, and I want to say it's because of you guys," I noted walking off.

As if on cue, what appeared to be a Genin with white hair and glasses approached said group, "Hey you guys, you should be more quiet."

I had a very bad vibe coming from him, _'He's part of the reason I feel restless...he and someone else are plotting something dark...'_

"You guys are rookies just out of the academy, right?" the white haired male asked. "Screaming like school girls...Geez...This isn't a picnic."

"Who do you think you are?" Ino asked.

"I'm Kabuto," he replied, "But instead of that, look behind you."

"Behind?" Sakura questioned looking over her shoulder.

Sure enough the majority of the classroom was glaring at the group of Rookie Genin.

"Those guys behind you are from the Hidden Rain, they have short tempers," Kabuto explained, "Everyone is nervous about the exam, quiet down before you cause a scene. Well I can't blame you. You're clueless Rookies. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Kabuto-san, right?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah," he replied.

"So this is your second time?" the pink haired girl asked.

"Nope...My seventh time," he answered.

My eyes widened a bit as I glanced at them from the other side of the room, _'His seventh time? What has he been doing for the seven times? Something isn't right...'_

"This exam is held twice a year so this is my fourth year," Kabuto said.

"Wow, so you know a lot about this exam," Sakura said.

"That's right..." the man said.

I shook my head and the teams stupidity to easily ignore the obvious problem with that Kabuto character; I would definitely have to keep an eye out for them. I continued just listening to their conversation to catch key points that I could use to figure out what the man was after, but nothing was coming to me. Soon I gave up on listening in to the conversation, that is until I heard a sudden shout over the racket that was being caused by a group of Sound Genin. "Quiet Down you worthless Bastards!" that was obviously the examiner.

As the smoke cleared in front of the room stood the one and only Ibiki Morno. I grinned widely; things were indeed going to be fun. "Thanks for waiting...I am Morno Ibiki, the examiner for the Chuunin Selection Exams first test," he said.

The entire room filled with tension and even some fear from a lot of the Genin. Pretty soon everyone was given an assigned seat and Ibiki began writing the rules on the board and explaining each rule. I yawned with boredom; I just wanted to get to the exciting part of the exam. As soon as he said 'Begin' I immediately flipped the paper over and began answering the questions without second thought. _'If these questions get any easier I just might puke...'_ I thought as I continued to question number two.

About twenty minutes in I had gotten to number seven and I glanced around the room. My cat eye sight caught onto many people who were cheating using their Kekki Genkai, _'Took them a while to figure out that you're supposed to cheat...'_

I suddenly smirked as an idea came to mind; I was going to mess with every single one of the Genin that planned to cheat off of me. With that thought in mind I hurried and finished the test, flipped the page over quickly and soundlessly, and then I began writing riddles, jokes, and anything else that would either cause confusion or a hysterical laughing fit among the Genin. Sure enough ten minutes after I started the mischievous plan of mine I heard the Genin two seats away from me start busting out laughing. Confused about why he was laughing, Ibiki casted him a serious yet curious glance, "Can I ask why you find any of this amusing?"

I stood up with a large grin on my face, "That would be my fault; I figured what you meant so I thought if anyone tried to cheat, why not mess with the other testers to see who exactly would be looking off of my paper, meow."

I then sat back down and continued with the boring exam after Ibiki had failed the test taker that was caught cheating off of me.

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**I hoped you enjoyed the little prankster that is Cheshire in the chapter. Also, there is about maybe six chapters left before I make the final decision on the OC submitting; if you wish to submit please do so soon. The story will turn to third person as soon as the other OC is introduced into the story. **

**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7: Orochimaru

**I finally got to posting the new chapter and boy is it long! Now that creepy snake Orochimaru is in this chapter and I hope you enjoy the twist I added to this story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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After the second comment of a different examiner who cheated off of my paper the genin had finally learned not to even looks over at mine. Ibiki had gotten on to me for being rowdy during the exam and even checked my paper to see if I had even done any of it; he was surprised when he noticed all the answers were correct and it was completely done; he called me out for my behavior. Once I got bored though I stopped goofing off and began working through my plan to enter the Forest of Death without being caught; I knew I wouldn't have too much trouble entering, but it's where I choose to enter that would be the issue. I had to enter somewhere close to where Kakashi's team is so I can easily watch to make sure things go smoothly; I don't know why, but I felt that his team was in some serious danger. _'I have to somehow go with the group to the forest entrance without getting caught doing so by Ibiki...I'd have to turn invisible at precisely the right time...'_ I thought staring straight ahead. _'I'll probably have to distract the proctor one last time before I do so and the best time to do that would be when the second examiner comes in...'_

Pretty soon it was time for the tenth and final question and I sighed at the mention of more rules and silently laughed to myself at the genin who chickened out until Naruto shouted out and actually back talked Ibiki. Everyone's worries seem to have vanished at that. Quite a few Genin had left, but no more were leaving after that. "Good decisions," Ibiki said, "Now, to everyone still remaining...I congratulate you on passing the first test!"

Everyone in the room looked absolutely stunned.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, "We already pass? What about the tenth question?"

"There never was such a thing," Ibiki replied, "Or you could say that those two choices were the tenth question."

"Hey! Then what were the first nine questions for?!" the blonde with four ponytails shouted, "They were pointless."

"They were not pointless; they had already served their intended purpose," Ibiki replied.

Confusion was spreading like the plague in the room. "The questions were to test your individual information gathering ability, meow," I said standing up and grinning towards said blonde.

She looked even more confused, "Information gathering?"

"This test was meant to put the team under pressure to do well, but the questions on this test were the types that a mere Genin could answer," I said explaining much to Ibiki's distaste, "Because of that Ibiki knew most of the people came to the same conclusion... 'that to score points I'll have to cheat', meow."

"Exactly...Basically, the premise of this test is to cheat," Ibiki finished, "As cheating targets, we had two or so Chuunins who knew all the answers mixed into the crowd to help you guys out."

"I was supposed to be one, but I wanted to mess others up, nya; it's more entertaining that way," I grinned.

I heard Naruto start laughing, "I saw right through that! You'd have to be a moron to not notice that, believe it!"

Ibiki then began removing his head coverings, "But those that cheat poorly fail of course. Because in times, information is more important than life...and on missions and the battlefield, people risk their lives to get their hands on it."

Everyone in the room sat their surprised at all the burns, scars, and screw holes on the man's face.

"If the enemy or third party notices you there is no guarantee the info will be accurate," Ibiki continued. "I want you to remember this. Important information in your hands can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for the village. So we had you gather information through cheating. This clearly separated those that did not have the right abilities."

"But I don't understand the final question," the blonde said once again confused.

Ibiki finished putting back on his head coverings, "But question ten is the true purpose of this test."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Let me explain; the tenth question...the 'take it or leave it' decision...obviously these were painful choices. Those who choose the latter fail along with their teammates. Those who choose to take it could lose the chance to ever take the test again," Ibiki said before I once again interrupted.

"A true leap of faith, meow," I winked.

Ibiki glared slightly at me, "Yes, a true leap of faith..."

The group looked a bit more understanding but still confused.

"How about these two choices: say you guys become Chuunins. Your mission is to steal a secret document; the amount of ninjas, their abilities, etc. is unknown to you and of course there could be traps set all around you. Now, do you accept or not accept? Because you don't want to die...because you don't want your comrades hurt can you avoid the dangerous mission? The answer is no! No matter what the danger there are missions you can't avoid. The ability to be courageous and survive any hardship...this is the ability needed to become a Chuunin captain. Those who can't put their destinies on the line, who cling to the uncertain future of 'There's always next year' and then walk away from their chance, those pieces of trash who can only make such cowardly choices don't have the right to become a Chuunin. That's how I feel."

I sat back down as Ibiki continued. After wishing us luck he looked to the side in distraction and I took that as my cue to turn entirely invisible; it was time for me to follow the group to the second half of the exam. The woman known as Anko Mitarashi showed up and demanded everyone to follow her to the second half of the exam.

"Bad timing..." Ibiki said.

It was quiet for a moment before Anko shouted, "78?! Ibiki! You left twenty-six teams?! The test was too easy this time!"

"This time there are a lot of outstanding ones," Ibiki remarked.

Their conversation continued for a little bit before we finally made our way to the Forest of Death. Anko continued talking and introducing the training ground, "You'll soon find out why it's called the 'Forest of Death'."

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death," Naruto mocked. "You think that scares me?! That's nothing! I'm not afraid!"

"Yeah...You're spirited," Anko said before throwing a kunai at Naruto.

Naruto looked absolutely stunned as Anko appeared directly behind him, "Kids like you are quickly killed spraying that red blood I love..." she said licking the blood from his cheek.

Anko quickly pulled out another kunai just as a Grass Genin came up behind her with his tongue extended. In his tongue was the kunai that Anko was thrown.

As the two started to converse my eyes widened as I recognized that chakra signature from a previous encounter; it was none other than Orochimaru from the Sound Village. _'That's why I feel like something is wrong; a legendary Sanin is entering the Chuunin Exam!'_ I thought in sheer panic, _'He's after someone with outstanding power, or at least the potential...an Uchiha! He always wanted to get his hands on one for his own body. That would mean that Sasuke and his team are in danger!'_

I glared at the ninja and immediately went to Kakashi's Genin team to make sure I wouldn't lose sight of them with that creep around. Once the team finished filling out their paperwork I followed them to the tent that would give them either a 'Heaven' or 'Earth' scroll. The team I would be watching was assigned Gate 12; I tensed as we waited to enter. _'I must protect the team for five days...Not to mention I must prevent Orochimaru from completing his goal at all costs...'_

Not even thirty minutes into it and we already heard a scream from a different group; things were going to be intense. I got distracted though when I heard Sakura punch Naruto for almost peeing in front of her. When he came back however, it wasn't him; thankfully it wasn't Orochimaru taking the disguise so I let the small group of Genin handle it. Sure enough they did a good job kicking the Mist Genin's ass. I sighed as they sat down to make a code; I felt Orochimaru's chakra nearby and I also noticed a bit of bamboo sticking out of the ground. He was going to make his move soon on this small team.

Sure enough the second they got their pass code set a huge gust of wind kicked up separating the three Genin. I gasped as the wind flung me into a tree; this was a powerful wind jutsu. After it died down Sasuke and Sakura met up and she produced the proper code word. When Naruto showed up, however, a different song was to be sung; his chakra was Orochimaru's. I glared daggers as the snake released the henge. "You want my 'Earth scroll' right? Since you guys have the 'Heaven Scroll'," he said.

His tongue wrapped around the scroll as he shoved it into his mouth and swallowed it, "Now, let's begin. The battle for each other's scroll with our lives on the line."

Fear instantly ripped through Sasuke and Sakura quite noticeably as they both began shaking; Sasuke threw up he got so frightened. I watched as Sasuke grabbed Sakura and hid; they wanted to do nothing more than to run and I didn't blame them. A giant snake caused Sasuke to actually throw kunai while yelling 'Get away!'.

"You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment," Orochimaru said, "Prey should always be trying their best to run away...in the presence of a predator that is."

Just as the snake began slithering up the tree kunai came flying blocking his path. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," Naruto said standing tall, "I forgot the code word!"

"Great job, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Naruto! I know you think you're cool and here to save us, but forget it! Run away!" Sasuke exclaimed in sheer panic, "This one is on a whole 'nother level!"

"Looks like you successfully defeated that giant snake, Naruto," Orochimaru said.

"Hey, Hey, it looks like you were picking on the weak!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke deactivated his sharingan and held out his scroll, "I will give you the scroll...please...take it and leave us."

I glared at Sasuke, _'Don't be stupid...it's not the scroll he wants...'_

"Sasuke, what the hell are you talking about?!" Naruto shouted, "Why would you give the scroll to the enemy?!"

"I see, very smart," Orochimaru said, "The only way for prey to escape a predator is to give the predator a different meal..."

"Take it!" Sasuke shouted tossing the scroll to the snake.

Naruto instantly intercepted the scroll.

"You bastard! What are you doing?!" Sasuke asked, "Do you understand the situation?!"

Naruto instantly punched Sasuke in the face sending him flying back into a tree.

"What was that all of a sudden?!" Sasuke shouted.

"Naruto, what are-"

"I forgot the codeword so I can't test it," Naruto said, "But you're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?"

"What?" Sakura asked.

"You total moron! I'm the real Sasuke!" the Uchiha exclaimed.

"Liar..." Naruto began. "There's no way such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know! I don't know how strong this guy is but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him the scroll? You're the one too freaked out to understand the situation!"

Orochimaru started chuckling, "Naruto, you are correct! Since I can just kill you and take the scroll." the Sanin then bit his thumb and slid it over a mark on his arm.

He summoned a snake and I couldn't believe it after Orochimaru ordered to eat Naruto; the blonde idiot was the carrier of the nine-tailed fox. "Eat shit!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Sasuke, now it's your turn! What will you do?!" Orochimaru said as the snake advanced on said Uchiha.

"Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed.

Just then Naruto jumped in front of the snake and blocked it's path surprising both Sasuke and Orochimaru. "Hey, you're not hurt are you, Scaredy-cat?" Naruto asked.

I couldn't interfere when Orochimaru picked Naruto up and performed the five pronged seal jutsu; there is no way I could have prevented that from happening. "Sasuke! It's true that unlike you, Naruto is clumsy and can get in the way but at least he's not a coward!" Sakura shouted, "Right?!"

Sasuke pulled out kunai, shuriken, and anything else lethal and threw it at the snake; string was attached to the weapons allowing him to use his fire jutsu for a direct hit. I knew that was a big mistake doing all of that with the sharingan activated.

"To be able to use the sharingan so well at this age...you truly are the man that carries the Uchiha blood," Orochimaru began, "Just as I thought...I want you."

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted running to Sasuke's side.

"I had fun testing your powers," Orochimaru said, "You really are brother-"

"Now Now Orochimaru, you shouldn't toy with Genin like that," I said allowing my grin to show and nothing else.

Orochimaru's eyes went wide, "Who are you?!"

"Alas, I was hoping you'd at least remember my clan since you took my brother in for experimentation like a lab rat," I spat.

"Cheshire!" Sakura exclaimed; she was obviously happy about the fact they had help.

I nodded in her direction before snapping and sending Sasuke with Naruto to a safe location; this did nothing less than piss off the Sanin. "I will tell you one thing, Orochimaru, you're darkness shall not touch or harm Sasuke or any of the others; I shall stop you," I announced grabbing hold of Sakura allowing him to see me completely. "Meow."

I then disappeared and teleported straight where I sent Naruto and Sasuke with Sakura. "Sasuke, I know you're probably pissed at me for getting you away from that creep, but I didn't want him to curse you..." I said looking down.

Sakura instantly hugged me, "Thank you. You saved us from that horrible man..."

Sasuke still looked like he was in shock; I smiled a bit before tossing him a 'Heaven Scroll'. "Where did you get this?" Sasuke asked.

"As you know, I'm not participating in the exams; I just so happened to snag one before we gathered at our assigned gate, nya," I replied sitting down and stretching. "I teleported us to a place that should be hidden from the eyes of Orochimaru...You guys will have to stay here while Naruto is unconscious..."

"How come you didn't help us earlier?!" Sasuke shouted.

"I didn't because I knew you could handle yourselves up to a certain point; you guys are strong both physically and mentally. I knew you could beat just about everyone who got in your path, nya," I replied.

Sasuke hesitated before nodding in understanding, "So how long will you be with us until you decide to leave?"

"I'll stay for the rest of this exam..." I replied, "I don't want to chance you facing anymore danger..."

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**I hope you liked this chapter! Now, I don't know if you agree or not, but I believe the story would have avoided half of the problems with Sasuke if they would have fled from the fight; once Sasuke got the curse mark things went down hill. I figured: why not make it to where Sasuke doesn't get the curse mark and then fix everything else. It easily might piss a few readers off though...**

**Anyways, please review so I can have motivation! :D**


	8. Chapter 8: The Secret is Out

**Okay, good news, I have decided the OC I have selected and the name of said person shall be anonymous for privacy purposes. Also good news, I have finished with the Chuunin Exam section for Cheshire.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

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Nightfall approached rather quickly and Naruto was still unconscious; I wouldn't blame him though. I let out a sigh as I stood up, "Sasuke, don't stay out in the open like that...I still sense Orochimaru's presence in the forest and it'll be a nightmare if he finds you, nya..."

Sasuke clenched his fist before entering the safety of our little hideout, "...How is it you can easily escape him?"

I looked out into the forest, "He assumed the last of my clan was indeed killed so he didn't expect to know I was here..."

Sasuke's head snapped in my direction, "Your clan was killed? Why?"

"I'll tell you shortly, but I will tell you this: it was an order by an Anbu of this village. Humans found out about or species' intelligence and they began to fear us because of it. They automatically assumed that we would try to claim the world and since we have no chakra and can easily sneak up on others without being detected then it would be a cinch, nya. We were and still are a very peaceful bunch, but of course humans always assume and jump to the worst conclusions, meow," I replied.

"You've had a rough past it seems..." Sakura commented as she finished changing a wet cloth on Naruto's forehead.

"Yes, but there is a reason for everything; good or bad it can't be helped. Everyone has their own selfish needs in this world and will do anything to get what they want, even if it means wiping out an entire clan to gain power, nya," I remarked.

"So your species was killed and you're going to do nothing about it?" Sasuke asked.

I grinned at him, "I never said that. Soon I shall reveal the truth about the person who did and completely undermine him, meow. I won't kill him, but I will make sure the village and all who follow the orders know just how deceived they were, nya."

"How do you know who killed your family?" Sakura asked.

"I went snooping in the Anbu Headquarters the other day and found the scroll with the order along with another with similar results," I said.

"What keeps you from wishing to join your family?" Sakura asked.

I looked at her, "I do long for death just so I can see them again, but I always just think that there is always someone worse off than I am, meow. My family would want me to live my life to the fullest and to not give in to Mankind. Even though humans have claimed us as theirs in the past on multiple occasions we still are free spirited, nya."

"What do you mean 'humans have claimed you'?" the pinkette asked.

"That's right, I never told you, meow," I said. "Our species could be claimed by humans if they give either the Guard or Cheshire Branch names. I'm called Cheshire because that's the branch of Neko that I am, nya."

"So your species used to function like a village," Sasuke said.

"Kind of; we weren't as corrupt as the human villages are now...so many things have turned people against one another. I've done some snooping in other villages and there is nothing short of selfish and dark reasoning behind some of their actions," I sighed as I looked at the moon. "We Nekos used to be able to prevent evil in the human villages, but we soon became outcasts due to our abnormal appearances and were kicked out of the human world to live in the forests in our own civilization."

"So how did you know that creep who wanted Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

I once again looked at the pink haired girl, "He found our home and he put a curse on my brother; the same curse he was about to put on you, Sasuke. When that man wants a person for a pawn or for his next body he marks them as his property so to speak and forces them into darkness...His plans are nothing short of evil..."

Things got quiet for a short while and I let out a sigh of relief when I felt Orochimaru's chakra leave the forest. "He's gone, we're safe for now," I said stretching. "I don't know about you two, but I think we should be prepared in case people decide to ambush us, meow."

Sakura nodded in agreement before she began setting up traps. I layed on the ground and closed my eyes while listening to the sounds of the forest. Sasuke was sitting by the entrance looking out into the forest. Things were currently very peaceful in the forest and I was feeling slightly at peace. "So what is your purpose other than revealing to the village how corrupt this Anbu person is?" Sasuke asked.

"My other purpose will reveal itself in the near future," I mentioned. "Like I said, not everything is going to make itself known and when it does, it will when the time is right, meow."

Sasuke scowled at the answer before nodding. I yawned and shut my eyes to relax while I could; I knew better than to drop my guard for too long in this forest.

Sunrise was coming and I already caught a disturbance in the bushes nearby; I opened my eyes and sat up in a way that wouldn't cause any suspicion. I glanced around until my eyes locked on three Sound Genin spying on us through the trees I looked over to a sleeping Sakura and gently tapped her with my tail, "Sakura, it's time to wake Sasuke and try to get another scroll, nya."

She nodded before she went over to Sasuke to wake him. The second the sun came out a squirrel came running towards our group; Sakura noticed this and threw a kunai right in front of the animal preventing it from setting off one of her traps. I sweat-dropped at the obviousness of the trap, "You could have hidden the bloody thing better, nya..."

Sakura scowled at me just as Sasuke sat up and the three sound ninja made their entrance. "I guess we don't need to tell you to wake up Sasuke; we want to fight him," the shorter one said; he had on a white scarf and what looked like a coat on with porcupine quills coming off the back.

"Looks like Orochimaru's pawns showed up thinking that his plan was successful, nya," I grinned.

"What are they talking about, Cheshire?" Sasuke asked.

"To put it simply, the original plan was for you to receive the curse mark and he wanted these three to fight you so the darkness in your heart would be awakened so you would seek nothing but power from that snake; he only wanted you to do so in order to have you for his next vessel. These three are nothing more than wasted pawns..." I replied.

"Hmm...I wonder what that man is thinking..." the short one remarked.

"But hearing that we can't let you go. I'll kill these two girls and I'll also kill this Sasuke guy," the second male said; his hair was slightly spiky.

"Wait, Zaku," porcupine said.

"Huh? Why?" Zaku asked.

The short Sound Nin disengaged one of Sakura's poorly hidden booby traps, "You're not very good... A recently overturned stone, different colored dirt. Grass doesn't grow here. A booby trap is pointless unless it goes unnoticed."

"Pft...Stupid. So that kunai was to prevent the squirrel from setting off the trap," Zaku said.

"Well, since we have no use for this girl, kill her," the short porcupine ordered as the three charged towards us.

Sakura cut the string nearby and set off another trap. "Giant log?! Another trap above? Oh no!" porcupine said before placing his hand on said log. "Yeah right..."

All of a sudden a loud noise rang through my ears causing them to go back and me to flinch in pain; the log shattered everywhere. Sasuke and Sakura looked absolutely stunned. The loud sound caused by the sound ninja left my ears ringing; I placed my hands over my ears as my knees buckled from lack of balance. I wasn't really sure what happened next but I was surprised that the boy in green tights showed up to protect Sakura. With my ears still ringing I couldn't hear what was being said, but I was entranced with Lee's fast movement as he kicked that annoying Sound Genin into the air.

As the Leaf Genin began spinning to the ground and about hit it another loud ringing noise caused the earth below to raise itself to save his friend. I fell over from the noise and felt Sasuke catch me before I slipped into unconsciousness from the loud sound.

"Hey, Cheshire, wake up," I heard as I was being shook.

I groaned as I opened my eyes and sat up to see none other than Shikamaru kneeling beside me. "Shikamaru..?" I asked sitting up; I winced at the migraine that now pounded through my head.

"You were passed out during the fight with the Sound Genin; my guess would be that you couldn't handle the sound waves coming from their attack since you have sensitive hearing," he explained.

"Everyone came to save us," Sakura said.

The pig known as Ino was holding Lee for support until the girl with two buns took him from her. "I'll take it from here," she said before violently shaking him. "Snap out of it, Lee!"

"Nnn...TenTen, why are you here?" Lee asked completely oblivious to what happened earlier.

"We came to save you," TenTen said.

"Hey? Where are the Sound Nins?" Lee asked looking around.

"That Sasuke kid drove them off," TenTen said.

I looked over to Sasuke for an explanation, "What happened, nya?"

"I broke the arms of the one named Zaku after everyone else showed up and got him distracted. We also got the earth scroll so we can go ahead and head to the tower," the Uchiha replied.

I sighed as I stood up and groaned, "This completely sucks...my head feels like an elephant stepped on it, nya..."

Naruto gave me a weird look, "What are you doing here?!"

I glared over at the brat for yelling so obnoxiously, "I saved your ass from that snake bastard! Now, we have somewhere to be now that we have the other scroll, meow."

As soon as goodbyes were said we began running towards the tower as quickly as we could since there were only two days left until the end of the second exam. "Hey, can't you just transport us to the tower since we have both scrolls?" Sakura asked.

I shook my head, "I honestly feel a bit off still from the Sound Genin's attacks so it might result in me teleporting you guys completely to a different location outside of Konoha, meow."

"Can't you just give it a try though?" Naruto asked.

I bit my lip before nodding; I grabbed hold of Naruto and Sasuke's hands, "Sakura, grab hold of one of the boys and hold on tight."

Sakura quickly grabbed hold of Sasuke's hand. I concentrated before teleporting us; a pulling sensation ran through my body as it felt like I was twisting and turning. The world spun before suddenly becoming clear showing us directly in front of the tower. I let go of the boys' hands and grinned, "Well what do you know, it worked, nya."

The sound of up-chucking caused me to turn around to see Naruto throwing up; Sasuke and Sakura looked like they were trying to prevent themselves from doing the same thing. "I didn't know there would be affects, otherwise I would have warned you two about that," I laughed a bit.

"I don't care, let's just enter the building..." Sasuke said as he opened the door.

The three of us followed Sasuke inside and Naruto pointed out the obvious, "...Nobody's here...What should we do?!"

"Hey, look at that," Sakura said pointing at a note on the wall.

"Without heaven...What the hell does this mean?" Naruto questioned.

"Looks like it's missing words there," Sasuke said.

"This is probably about the scrolls. I think they are telling us to open the scrolls," Sakura said.

"Alright, then let's open them," I chirped.

When Sakura and Naruto opened the scroll Sasuke immediately caught on, "Naruto, Sakura, let go of the scrolls!"

Without hesitation the two threw the scrolls to the floor and there stood none other than a Chuunin. "You are..." Sasuke began.

"Hey, long time no see," the Chuunin said.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Looks like you guys had trouble."

"Huh, huh, why was Iruka Sensei Summoned?" Naruto asked out loud.

"At the end of this second test it's set up so we Chuunins meet up with the exam takers and I was allowed to be the one to greet you," Iruka explained.

"Greet us?" Sakura asked.

"The second test all three of you pass-Why is Cheshire here?" Iruka questioned.

"I helped them a bit on the way, nya. Someone who was too powerful for the group showed up so I saved them," I replied.

Before he could continue Naruto tackled Iruka, "We did it!"

"H-Hey, Naruto, listen to the end," Iruka said.

"We did it, we did it, we did it!" Naruto exclaimed jumping up and down. "I'm so happy!"

Sakura and Sasuke both parked their butts on the floor. "He sure has energy..." Sasuke said.

I zoned out as Iruka and the others continued their conversation and the Chuunin explain the meaning of the writing on the wall. I was just too relieved to learn that I had saved Sasuke from the fate of being evil, _'I can't believe I actually completed a goal I set out...normally that doesn't happen...'_

With a wish of luck from Iruka we began making our way to the indoor training grounds in the tower to find the other shinobi already waiting. "First off, for the second test, congratulations on passing!" the Hokage said.

I felt Orochimaru's presence in the room and I instantly scanned the room to see him standing with the other Jonin, Chuunin, and Anbu standing by the Hokage. My eyes narrowed as they locked with his. _'So I'll need to make my move before this starts...Damn...much sooner than I expected...'_ I thought as my fist clenched.

I began thinking and planning when the best time it would be for me to reveal the truth of things as the Hokage began his explaining the purpose of the exams and whatnot. I was about to interrupt before someone had beaten me to it. "I apologize, Hokage-sama," a sickly man interrupted, "From here on, as the referee, will you please allow me, Hayate Gekkou."

"By all means," the Hokage said questioningly looking at me; took him long enough to notice.

"Hello, everyone, I'm Hayate," he said before coughing. "Umm...Before the third test there's something I'd like you to do. Umm...It's a preliminary for the third test to decide who gets to participate in the main event."

"Preliminary?" Sakura questioned.

I clenched my jaw as things continued, _'Things keep getting worse...I'll have to make my announcement after Sasuke's fight so it won't distract him from the battle...'_

I kept brewing as Kabuto decided to yet again forfeit. I wasn't paying attention until the board behind the others began spinning and showing Sasuke Uchiha Vs. Yoroi Akado. I grinned as the rest of us were sent to the stairs, _'Perfect, I won't have to wait long.'_

I stood next to Kakashi and his team and let out a sigh as their match started. "Kakashi, I need to talk to you, meow..." I said looking over at him.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked looking over at me.

"...Don't judge me for what I'm going to do and please don't hate me...I need to reveal the truth when this fight finishes; deception is hiding in this room and not only does no one notice a certain evil person mentally cursing for not getting something he lost, but I need to end the lying that is used to cover up the truth..." I replied never taking my eyes off of the fight; Sasuke was doing well.

The Jonin's eyes narrowed at me, "What do you mean?"

The fight soon ended and Sasuke was declared the winner; I bit my lip and inhaled deeply, "Forgive me..."

As soon as they took Yoroi was taken to the hospital and Sasuke walked up the railing I jumped down to the middle of the floor just as the board started spinning for the next contestants. "Cheshire, what is the meaning of this?!" the Hokage said.

"I will tell you the meaning; evil is sitting right under your noses and no one has noticed it. Orochimaru is disguised in this room and none of you even give a shit!" I shouted. The entire room went from outraged to stunned at my sudden outburst. "I'm am tired of the lies that have been kept hidden from the shinobi of this village and I'm going to reveal truths that will make your skin crawl! The truth behind the Uchiha Massacre is a mere conspiracy!"

The Leaf Shinobi looked absolutely stunned and the Hokage looked outraged; he knew my plan, "Cheshire, you will stop at once."

I laughed dryly, "Why, nya? Because you don't want them to know that it was a mere order from Danzo?!" I summoned the scroll straight into my hand causing Sasuke to look absolutely stunned. "I provide proof! The man who ordered the massacre did it because he was afraid of the clan just as he was afraid of mine and ordered the slaughter of my kind! They then told Itachi to kill himself after destroying the Clan, but there is one person he couldn't bring himself to kill."

I looked at Sasuke and lowered the scroll, "You Sasuke...Your brother loved you and the this village so much that he followed the order but let you live so you could kill him after the mission that tainted his soul! He threatened Danzo if he would kill you and told you a lie so that if Danzo were to chase you that you could defend yourself without dying!"

The Anbu were then ordered to stop me before I spilled out any other information. I turned invisible and jumped out of the way and allowed my voice to echo throughout the building, "There are people in the world besides Itachi Uchiha who have been labeled as criminals for similar reasons or were betrayed by their villages and had decided to run. You shinobi have fallen beyond tools; you are nothing more than pawns in villages committing unknown evil..."

I teleported right behind Sasuke before whispering, "Don't look around...I can help you and teach you jutsu that could make you powerful...when the time is right I'll come get you, but tell the Leaf Village you are doing some soul searching; don't mention me, meow. Let me know if you will..."

Sasuke gave a small, half nod in agreement.

"Until then, my friend; beware anyone who promises you power for they only want to make you their own pawn...I want to help you," I said before slipping the scroll into his pocket, "This is proof of the Massacre, but don't do anything reckless without me here."

And with that said I vanished from the building and reappeared in my old home of the Cheshire Branch housing.

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**I hope you guys like the long chapter; my hands feel like noodles from working on this. I tried to stay in character as long as I could and I know it's irritating to twist the story as much as I had, but like I said, I wanted to do something different. **

**Please review so I can stay motivated.**


	9. Chapter 9: Nekomimi and the Akatsuki

**The OC is introduced in this chapter, and things also get quite interesting for Cheshire. Third person begins this next one I believe due to the use of the OC so no more first person I believe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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I had been searching through scrolls and memorizing any jutsu that I had come across in the scrolls that used to belong to the Main Branch of the Neko species; If I was going to train Sasuke, then I would have to teach him anything and everything I knew. I had been looking through the scrolls for about a month and a half now and I found a very interesting fact: humans can gain Neko abilities as a jutsu. I could teach him to teleport anywhere he pleased without worrying about traveling. From what was in the scroll, however, only so many humans had the chakra mass capable of doing so; Sasuke would have a lot of training in order to complete it successfully.

With a sigh I put down the last of the scrolls and stretched; it was about time for me to go to Sasuke to tell him when his training would start. I didn't want to push him too soon, but depending on what's been happening at the Leaf I might have to sooner than later. I heard a couple of interesting rumors about the Leaf Village though; the most interesting would be the Hokage's death. Next to that would be me being in the Bingo Book for criminal activity apparently; I'm not sure what the crime is, but it's whatever. With being a criminal there is also a bounty on my head much to my distaste.

I walked out of the Neko Village before turning into a cat and heading towards the Leaf. I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself since I'm now a wanted criminal thanks to my outburst; it was hopefully worth it though. I let out a sigh as the sun hit me through the tops of the trees, a beautiful day it was. _'Today would be a perfect day to relax, too...'_ I thought.

I was about to chase a bird when my eye caught something to the right of me; I looked over to see none other than a black cat with familiar, sharp blue eyes. The Neko clan all had a distinct look in their eyes which allowed me to tell the difference between the species when they nya?" I asked slowly approaching.

The cat nodded before I ran to her and rubbed my face all over her since hugging wasn't really an option as a cat. "I'm amazed you're alive! It's been so long, how are you?"I asked.

"Cheshire, you need to be more careful with the humans; you know they can claim our species..." Nekomimi said. "I got a peak at the Bingo Book and saw you in it. What the hell did you do?"

I frowned as I stopped trying to show how much I missed my dear friend, "I saved the humans from Orochimaru during the Chuunin Exams. When they decided to ignore the bizarre power level coming from him when he was disguised in the preliminaries to the third match, so I called him and put questions into the minds of the shinobi who took missions without questions. I revealed the truth to how corrupt things had gotten by sharing the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, meow."

"You did what, nya?!" Nekomimi exclaimed. "You know just as well as I do that interfering with the humans is extremely dangerous! What if someone followed you to this forest?!"

"I'm going to be training someone in this forest here shortly, meow," I said. "In fact, I'm on my way to see him."

Sheer horror spread across Nekomimi's face, "Cheshire...don't tell me you now have a master..."

I gave her a weird look, "No, I don't have a master; I just promised him that I would help him get stronger."

Nekomimi shook her head, "You can't help selfish dreams for those with a corrupt heart; you know what will happen if you do, meow."

"I saved him from that fate, so I'm not worried about that, nya," I said as I started walking. "Now I have somewhere to be, do you want to come with?"

I wasn't aware as to how scared she still was of the humans since the slaughter of our kind until just now; fear instantly took hold of her to where she could barely move. "No...I'll stay here where I'll be safe..." she said backing up a little.

I frowned before nodding, "I'll be back before too long, my friend; don't worry, meow."

"I hope you do stay safe...rumors of an organization in black cloaks designed with red clouds are hunting for tailed beasts; you know just as well as I do that one of the carriers is in none other than in the Leaf Village, meow," Nekomimi said.

I looked over my shoulder, "What do you mean, meow?"

"I mean what I say; I believe the organization is known as the Akatsuki and is made up of S-Rank Criminals from the Bingo Book," the black cat said.

"I'm not worried about it; we can vanish into thin air, remember?" I mentioned continuing to travel.

I felt Nekomimi roll her eyes, "I'll be waiting for your return in the Cheshire Compound, meow."

When the sudden sound of wind picking up for a split second faded, I knew she had transported herself to the safety of our old home. Nekomimi didn't used to be afraid of humans and would normally love a good adventure...it's sad to see how that has changed do to the evil performed by that bastard Danzo. She used to sing throughout the day, but that obviously has changed as well. I let out a sigh as I climbed a nearby tree, _'One thing's for sure though, she still is the protective one, meow.'_

I hurried across the tree branches as fast as I could before I largely grinned, _'It would be fun to randomly teleport into Konoha while running; it'll appear as if I popped out of nowhere. Where in Konoha should I teleport to though?'_

Then it hit me; I should teleport straight to Kakashi. I needed to talk to him about the day I informed everyone of the truth. With Kakashi in mind I instantly teleported and found myself walking next to a startled Jonin. "What the-Cheshire?" he asked slightly confused.

"Kakashi, I came to apologize to you about the-"

"I understand why you did, but now you're wanted for information," he mentioned; I hadn't realized we were going to a tea shop.

"I know I am, meow; I also heard what happened to the village after I left. I had been hoping they were just rumors, but obviously they weren't," I said turning to my Neko self; I didn't fancy being a cat for too long.

"So why did you come back now? You're obviously here for a reason other than apologizing," Kakashi mentioned as he leaned against the wall of the tea shop.

"I just came here to check a couple of things out, nya; I ran out of scrolls to read in the Strom Village and in my old Village so I was hoping to get some here possibly," I replied.

"I wouldn't try it; they heavily guarded the Anbu quarters since you snuck into it last time. They are clear about not wanting you to get hold of anymore information than you already have," the Jonin said.

A huge grin spread across my face, "You say it's guarded now, nya?"

"I know what you're thinking, but I wouldn't chance it," he said.

Kakashi's head snapped to the right, "Hey! you two look good together. Are you two dating?"

I looked behind me and saw none other than Asuma and Kurenai. My face was lined with my signature grin, "You two are looking good, meow."

"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like sweets?" Kurenai said.

"Cheshire, it's been a long while; why did you come back," Asuma asked.

I came to apologize for making you question your leader, but the truth needed to be said," I replied.

"I'm not going to lie, it's good to see that you're alright, kid," the chain smoker mentioned.

"Anyways, I'm here to pick up a few things and meet someone here, too," Kakashi answered, "I'm waiting for Sasuke."

My eyes then snapped quickly to the left before looking back at the masked Jonin; I understood then. _'I should have been more careful when talking...that's the cloaks that Nekomimi warned me about...'_ I thought.

"It's very weird of you to arrive first, Kakash-Cheshire?" I heard Sasuke ask.

"Heyo! How have you been, Sasuke? It's been a while, meow," I said smiling at him.

"I've been training hard," he replied.

We all looked at the now vacant seats behind us. "I hate sweets," Sasuke commented.

"Do you?" Kakashi asked.

Kakashi glanced at Asuma, Kurenai, and me before the other two Jonin darted off. "Hey, Sasuke, I'll talk to you later, alright?" I said before turning invisible and darting after the two Jonin.

We soon found ourselves on a walk way by a lake with the two men in the cloaks walking away from the village. "You guys don't look like the locals," Asuma mentioned. "Why are you people here?"

"It's been a long time, Asuma, Kurenai," the shorter of the two said.

"So you know who we are," Asuma noted, "So does that mean you were a shinobi originally from this village?"

The short one lifted up his hat before removing it and then using his left wrist to unbutton part of his cloak; his sharingan eyes were activated. "This is Itachi Uchiha," Asuma said.

_'Thank you Mr. Point-Out-the-Obvious...'_ I thought with a sigh.

"You two already know Itachi?" the tall male asked. "Then I should introduce myself. I'm Kisame Hoshigaki. Now we all know each other."

"Not quite," I grinned.

Itachi's eyes slightly widened; not even byakugan can detect me when I'm invisible.

I allowed myself to be seen, but with a twist; I was in a seated position while hanging upside down in the air. "I'm Cheshire, meow. Now we all know each other; you may continue," I said grinning wider.

"Well aren't you a bit freakish," Kisame noted.

"I wouldn't insult me if I were you; last person that decided to do that ended up in the hospital for nearly three months, nya," I said as my eyes narrowed.

"Cheshire, you shouldn't challenge your opponents like that," Asuma said.

"So it is true then; there is still a Neko alive in the world," Itachi said.

My ears perked up as I looked over at him, "You know of my kind, nya?"

"Control yourself, Cheshire; you're not here to make friends," Kurenai said. "And I know who you are, Kisame Hoshigaki; a former Hidden Mist ninja suspected of the murders of the Daimyos as well as planning the destruction of other countries. Therefore, he is a missing nin that the Water Country is looking for together with other countries. You are all S-Rank Criminals in the Bingo Book."

"Actually, Kurenai, you're wrong about Kisame, meow," I said.

Everyone looked over at me in confusion.

"The reason Kisame is a missing nin is because of the fact he had killed his old comrades to protect valuable information; he later killed his superior for leaking out the information that was ordered to protect. This man before you was lied to by his own village and was betrayed, meow," I stated.

"Who are you and how do you know so much information for someone so young?" Kisame asked.

"So when you said most criminals were put under that category for being betrayed you even meant these two..." Kurenai said.

Kisame and Itachi's eyes narrowed at me. I grinned before turning invisible; I was in some deep shit. I allowed my voice to echo though, "Yeah; both were betrayed and ended up doing something because it held truth in it."

"So you weren't joking about the Uchiha Massacre...I was hoping you were lying about that..." Kurenai said.

Pure shock was evident in Itachi's eyes.

"Either way, you two must be here for something in order to be coming here dressed like that," Asuma said. "What is it you're after?"

Kisame grabbed the hilt of his sword and slammed it on the pavement, "That guy is so annoying. Should I kill him?"

"Looks like they won't let us leave the village that easily," Itachi said. "But don't go too far, you could cause trouble..."

"Then it's decided?" Kisame asked.

Pretty soon the fighting began and things were getting intense. I watched as Kisame and Asuma fight; it was similar to a dance the way the swung and dodged. Pretty soon Kurenai was kicked into the water and the Shark Bomb Jutsu was performed by Kisame; only, it was deflected by none other than Kakashi doing the same exact jutsu. "A replica of my jutsu?" Kisame questioned.

"You just came?" Asuma asked.

"Not really," Kakashi replied. "I was leaving this up to you guys, but I was still a bit worried. Speaking of which, where's Cheshire?"

I appeared right next to him and Asuma, "I'm right here, nya. I'm getting bored though..."

"This isn't supposed to be entertaining..." Kakashi sighed.

"Well that's no fun," I said.

"Impressive," Kisame said. "That's why he has the same jutsu as mine. I never thought I'd see someone other than Itachi with those eyes. That said, you must be the Copy Ninja Kakashi."

"Surprising, just now the suspicious people seen at the tea shop were Itachi Uchiha and the mysterious Hidden Mist ninja Kisame Hoshigaki," Kakashi said.

"Well, well, you know my name; I'm honored," Kisame said. "I heard you and Zabuza went at it a while back."

"Kisame, quit messing around," Itachi ordered. "You will take too long if you fight with him. If you take too long other shinobi will arrive."

"But-"

"Don't forget out mission," Itachi said, "You didn't come here to get injured."

"So...What's this mission you speak of?" Kakashi asked.

_'...So they're here to collect the nine tails from Naruto...'_ I thought. I then said it out loud without thinking, "They're after Naruto."

Once again all eyes were on me, but two sets were glares that were coming from the Akatsuki members; I was royally screwed.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter with the exception of the cliff-hanger. I decided to make Cheshire a bit more believable because everyone does make mistakes and blurt things out that they shouldn't on occasion, so I made her talk before thinking. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: Sasuke & Itachi

**I hope you like this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

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"What do you mean they're after Naruto?" Asuma asked.

Cheshire sighed and scratched the back of her head, "I might as well spill, nya...These two are part of an organization known as the Akatsuki; they are currently after the nine tails inside of Naruto."

"Kisame, take Cheshire with us!" Itachi ordered, "The others, let them disappear from this world!"

A large grin spread across Kisame's face as he charged right at the red head. The cat girl grinned as she vanished and appeared right behind Itachi; the only thing that allowed him to realize where she transported was the ringing of the bell on her neck. The Uchiha swiftly turned around to see nothing but eyes and a grin suspended in mid air just as Guy came in and kicked Kisame back from the other three. "I'll take my leave now, meow. I do have an appointment with someone and I hate to keep others waiting," Cheshire remarked before teleporting a safe distance away. _'I just put myself in a dangerous position...I need to find Naruto quickly and inform him of the situation...'_

Cheshire then transported herself to Naruto's location and found her standing in front of the blonde brat and none other than Jiraiya. "Cheshire, what are you doing here?!" Naruto asked.

"If I'm not mistaken then you are part of the Neko species; I thought you were all wiped out," Jiraiya remarked with his eyes narrowed.

"I turned invisible and hid at the last minute; but that's not important right now," Cheshire began slightly panicked. "I just had a run-in with a couple of ninja that are listed in the Bingo Book and I'm pretty sure my ass is grass."

Naruto gave me a weird look, "So why did you come here? Me and Pervy-Sage are on an important mission together."

"You don't understand the seriousness of this situation; this has to do with an organization traveling in pairs," the cat girl said desperately; she knew the Sanin would have to understand what she was saying.

"Naruto, we're taking a short break; I need to talk to Cheshire in private," Jiraiya said in all seriousness.

Naruto groaned before going over to a building with large bells on them. " You're referring to the Akatsuki, aren't you?" the Toad Sage asked.

Cheshire nodded slowly, "They appeared in the Leaf Village today and said they were on a mission; I guessed they were after the nine-tails and I guess I was right because they wanted to take me with them since I had the information, meow."

"Did Kakashi give you this information?" he asked.

"No, I have a friend that had heard rumors about them; she is also a Neko and became scared of humans after they killed our species so she spies on them for any information she can get; this just happened to be some of the info she gathered," the girl replied.

"That means we're probably being followed by them as of right now...Which two was it?"

"It was Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, nya."

Jiraiya nodded, "Thanks for sharing the information; we'll be careful."

Cheshire nodded, "Can I travel with you? I don't know if they'll be coming after Naruto right away, but I swore to do my best to protect those in need."

"Aren't you also in the Bingo Book?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, but that's only because I told everyone in the Leaf the cold hard truth," the cat girl replied.

"...Kakashi was telling me about that; it just seems too hard to believe," the Sanin said waving Naruto back over and he excitedly obliged.

"Hey, hey, Pervy Sage, what sort of jutsu are you going to teach me this time?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"You you don't you know what an amazing person I am? In the north, in the south, East and West! The Legendary Three Ninja's white haired, Frog-Summoning Child! The handsome man that can silence a crying child! That's me! Jiraiya!"

Cheshire began cracking up at his introduction, "Oh that's good, nya!"

"Excuse me, but the great Pervy Sage's traveling companion that he is bringing along is me, isn't it?" Naruto asked.

"The name's Jiraiya, damn it..." the Sage pouted.

"I've got a hidden talent, don't I?!" Naruto said. "Really? Hey, why did you choose me? You're doing a Sanin class in cool jutsu, and I'm the only one who ranks high enough to get in, right?"

"The Fourth Hokage was my apprentice, and you resemble him in a funny way," Jiraiya explained, "That's the reason."

Cheshire smiled to herself as they entered a town by the name 'Hotel-Town'. "It's nicely decorated, nya~!"

"It looks kind of strange in my opinion, believe it," Naruto said looking around.

"Naruto, today we're staying here," Jiraiya said holding the room key.

Something caught the two boys' eyes and Cheshire followed their gazes to see a woman actually _flirtingly_ winking at the Sanin. The cat sighed and turned herself invisible, _'I'll need to watch from a distance...she's obviously under a genjutsu so that must mean Itachi and his partner are in this small town...'_

As Cheshire suspected, Jiraiya handed Naruto the key and took off down the street with the girl. The cat girl silently followed Naruto up to the room and waited. "What's this? This sort of thing is always happening with Pervy-Sage," Naruto complained out loud. "And not to mention Cheshire randomly disappears."

Cheshire's ears listened intently as knocking was heard through the door. The clueless Genin began walking to the door to answer it. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting the door," Naruto said unlocking it.

Big mistake. The second he opened the door he was met with sharingan eyes from none other than Itachi. The cat girl glared at him even though she knew he couldn't see me. He was looking directly down at Naruto and wasn't aware of Cheshire's presence in the room. _'Run, idiot...'_ the girl thought.

"Could this child really be the Nine-Tails?" Kisame asked.

Shock took over Naruto's face. "Naruto, we would like you to come with us," Itachi said. "Come out of the room."

_'Don't do it...'_ Cheshire thought.

Much to Cheshire's distaste Naruto obeyed Itachi without further delay. "Itachi, we don't need him running around. We should cut off a leg," Kisame said.

All was quiet for a moment before Itachi spoke, "It has been a long time, Sasuke."

Itachi and Kisame turned around to see none other than Sasuke standing at the end of the building. Cheshire bit her lip,_ 'Now I'll find out if he even read the scroll...'_

"Itachi Uchiha," Sasuke said.

"Today is a special day, don't you think?" Kisame said. "This is the second time I've seen another sharingan. You seem to be familiar with Itachi. Who is this guy?"

"He is my younger brother," Itachi said.

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out by you," Kisame noted.

The two stared at each other emotionlessly for a while before Sasuke spoke, "I've lived hating you and I have lived only to kill you...that is until I met someone who uncovered the truth behind everything." Sasuke pulled out the old mission scroll and held it up for Itachi to see. "Does this look familiar to you?"

Shock was evident over Itachi's face. Kisame looked confused and looked between the two, "What..?"

"Where did you get that scroll; it should be locked in the Anbu headquarters?" Itachi was confused.

"Cheshire got past all the Anbu and went snooping through the scrolls; she found the orders of the Uchiha Massacre and the slaughtering of her own species. Why did you lie to me?" Sasuke asked as he got angry.

Cheshire smiled some as she looked at Sasuke; he was no longer an avenger, that was evident. "This Cheshire seems to be quite the sneaky one," Kisame commented.

"No one gets through the Anbu Headquarters without getting caught...How is that possible?" Itachi wondered.

"When I asked her why she didn't want to avenge her kind she answered with 'I live my life to protect others and to prevent darkness from spreading; I'm tired of seeing people living in the shadows of hate that humans have created'," Sasuke said. "I'm asking you again, why did you lie?"

Cheshire appeared right behind Sasuke which startled the gathered group. She then put a hand on the young Uchiha's shoulder, "Sasuke, now's not the time for answers, meow."

"You truly are talented, Cheshire," Itachi said. "How did you get past the Anbu without them seeing you?"

"If you haven't noticed, I have no chakra; the other reason would be that the Cheshire Branch of my kind are the sneakiest of the three. We were made to be able to come and go where ever and whenever we please, nya," Cheshire replied with a grin.

"Well we'll be taking you and Naruto and be on our way," Kisame grinned.

In panic, Naruto began gathering some of the Nine-Tails chakra to summon the giant toad. "Too late!" Kisame said swinging his sword to eat away the chakra.

Naruto continued to try to gather chakra, "Crap, crap! What's going on?!"

"My 'Samehada' eats chakra!" Kisame grinned. "Now that your jutsu is gone, you shouldn't be any more trouble; but I should hop off a leg or cut off an arm?"

Cheshire's eyes narrowed before teleporting next to Kisame and Sparta-kicking Kisame into the wall causing it to bust slightly. "Now I don't like it when the obviously stronger opponent decides to pick on someone who is not exactly in the same league, nya," she said as she glared daggers at Kisame as the smoke cleared.

"For someone without chakra you sure do pack a punch in that leg of yours," he grinned.

Itachi made to swing at Cheshire with a kunai but she vanished and appeared right beside Jiraiya; right on time. "It's good to see you again, nya," Cheshire said with a grin. "These two were bullying your student."

"You don't seem to know very much about me," Jiraiya began looking at Itachi. "I'm better at getting girls than they are trying to get me. Even though it doesn't look like it, it's my specialty. I, Jiraiya, this epitome of manliness! I will fall for no woman's feminine wiles! When you're someone like me, you'll only have to flash that sexiness to have women fall at your feet!"

"...Okay, so does anyone know who this guy is? Because I don't have a damn clue..." Cheshire said looking at everyone else besides Jiraiya.

"Oh yea? That girl just winked at ya and you were scampering after her!" Naruto exclaimed. "And now you're trying to look all cool and classy, Pervy Sage!"

"Hey! Can't you stop calling me that in front of others?" Jiraiya argued.

"Okay, girls, you're both pretty; can we get to the problem at hand, meow?" Cheshire asked irritably.

Kisame chuckled, "So it's one of the Legendary Sanin, the great Jiraiya, eh? You like beautiful women but we weren't thinking that such a simple method could successfully stall you anyway..."

"You guys know the Pervy Sage's 'real' identity?!" Naruto exclaimed.

Cheshire face-palmed and Sasuke just looked absolutely confused.

"Er, not really, I wouldn't call that a 'real' identity..." Jiraiya said.

"In any case, it seems you have already undone the genjutsu binding the woman," Kisame remarked.

Jiraiya put the woman down, "You guys wanted to draw me away so you used the sharingan to cast genjutsu on the woman, huh? Not a very manly way of doing things. So you really are after Naruto..."

Naruto and Sasuke both looked shocked.

"No wonder Cheshire-"

"He didn't tell me; rumors are being leaked in an area close to where I live. You do the math," Cheshire interrupted.

"That tells us quite a bit of information," Kisame grinned.

Sasuke looked at Itachi, "What do you want with Naruto?"

"They want the Nine-Tailed fox that is sealed inside of him," Cheshire answered. "Since questions are being asked I might as well be bluntly honest, right?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a disbelieving look, "So that's why you were able to defeat Gaara.."

Naruto nodded in confirmation.

"You won't get Naruto," Jiraiya said sternly.

"And why not?" Itachi asked.

"Because right here, right now, you two will die by my hand," the Sanin said.

"Don't do it," Sasuke said. "I want answers."

Cheshire groaned, "I'll be heading home while you ladies fight it out, meow..."

"I don't think so," Kisame grinned.

The cat girl grinned right back, "I know so." She then vanished and found herself looking at a grass wall.

This grass wall looked nothing more than that, but what hid behind it was the old village of the Neko species. She walked into the grass and through the tunnel to find herself looking at the tree homes of her clan from so many years ago. She jumped into the tree and climbed into her old room to see Nekomimi sitting there in her Neko form. Her black hair was up in a pony tail and reach her butt in length; striking blue eyes locked onto mine. Like the red-headed Neko, she is part of the Cheshire Branch. "Glad to see you've returned safely, Cheshire," Nekomimi said with a small smile.

"I told you I would be fine, nya" Cheshire said laying on the floor.

"I know, but men with red cloaks have been coming in and out of this forest...they're searching," Nekomimi said.

Cheshire looked down in guilt, "...I accidently blabbed to them...I ran into them and told them what I knew..."

"You did what, nya?!" Nekomimi asked.

Cheshire sighed, "I'm so sorry..."

Nekomimi sighed as well before laying next to Cheshire, "It's fine, but please, beware now that they know."


	11. Chapter 11: Riddles and Rings

**I hope no one has abandoned this story just yet; I know this is far from the story line, but that's what makes it so interesting in my opinion. This has more Akatsuki action for those who are Akatsuki fans, but warning: they are being stuck in the story line with them not changing. Cheshire understands that they were betrayed, but she won't join them.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

Sasuke yet again looked at the note in his pocket; the note was from none other than Cheshire. The young Uchiha noticed added weight in his pocket once Itachi and Kisame fled the scene during their fight with Jiraiya. He had read the note at least ten times but he couldn't contain his excitement. Cheshire had finally contacted him about when she would retrieve him for the training. Sasuke had been grateful to meet the cat girl; not only was she always honest, but she shared the same past as him. He studied the note he got two weeks ago in his room.

_"Sasuke,_

_You'll probably be heading back to Konoha when you get this note and I just wanted to inform you that your training with me will start shortly. I've been thinking of a way for you to leave Konoha without being followed, and the best solution I have is for you to leave at night; don't talk to anyone and go quickly. I'll meet you outside the gates a week after you get the new Hokage that Jiraiya and Naruto were looking for._

_ -Cheshire"_

That day was today; Tsunade had been the Hokage for a week now and he couldn't wait to start his training. He knew Naruto and the rest of his team would look for him if he left, but he needed to get stronger and Cheshire was his only chance to do so without any strings attached. Sasuke sighed as he began packing things he would need to bring with him; he wasn't sure where exactly they would be training or anything. With a half-day to kill he set out to sight see for the last time for a long time.

**Meanwhile...**

"All of us meeting together like this..." Kisame's voice rang out; the Akatsuki were having a meeting in holograms.

"We haven't done this sine seven years ago when Orochimaru left the organization," a deep voice said from a short body.

"Someday Orochimaru will be killed, un," a boy with long hair said, "But more importantly we only have three years. If we all do it together our success rate will be high, yeah?"

"Yes, our ambition, if we include the 'Kyuubi', everything will be in our hands!" a man with rinnegan eyes stated.

"Leader-sama, it seems that someone is leaking information about our organization as well," Kisame said.

The rinnegan user looked to Kisame, "Do you know who?"

"No, but you'll be interested to hear this; the word got out to none other than the last of the Neko species," Kisame grinned.

"What the fuck is a neko?" a foul-mouth man asked.

"It's a species that was said to be wiped out years ago; she also seems to have personal ties to the jinchuriki. To make things more interesting, she got past the Leaf's Anbu squad and into their personal records; she read every single mission scroll," Itachi said.

"She sounds like a sneaky little bitch," the man said.

"Zetsu, scout out the area; obviously she would have to be close to our headquarters in order to hear rumors of the 'Akatsuki'. Inform me immediately if you find her or anything out of the ordinary," the leader ordered.

"What does this girl look like and go by?" Zetsu asked. "**We don't have time to sit and wait.**"

"Her name is Cheshire, and you'll know when you see her," Itachi replied.

"Avoid her kicks though; she's strong for someone without chakra," Kisame warned.

Zetsu nodded before leaving the meeting.

**In the Neko homes not but twenty miles away...**

"I can't believe you're going to the human village yet again after the incident with the Akatsuki, meow," Nekomimi said watching Cheshire grabbing some supplies.

"It's not like they know where we live, nya; and besides, why would they be interested in someone without chakra when they're after the tailed beasts?" Cheshire asked.

"I can think of a few reasons..." the black haired Neko mumbled.

The red head rolled her emerald eyes, "You worry too much."

Nekomimi sighed, "Fine, but whatever you do, don't teleport in and out of this forest; I don't know if you've noticed, but when you do others can get a glimpse of your destinations. Also, if attacked while teleporting it can cause you to malfunction so to speak."

Cheshire shook her head, "I'm not worried about it, meow. Now I'm going to be heading out."

The black haired Neko nodded and watched as her friend left the safety of the home and into the forest. Cheshire didn't want to be noticed by the Akatsuki just in case they would look for her so she turned into her feline form. With a yawn and a stretch the cat girl began making her way to the end of the forest. "You shouldn't do this, this isn't a good idea, what if they go looking for you?" Cheshire mocked talking to herself. "Ugh! It's not like you're in my shoes...I'd rather do things that come at a risk than having to stay put in one damn place..."

The frustrated cat climbed a tree and began walking from tree to tree; she only wanted her freedom, was that wrong? Cheshire sighed before blue hair caught her attention. She looked down and saw none other than Itachi and Kisame heading the Hidden Rain Village. The cat girl grinned, _'I should mess with them for a little bit...'_

Cheshire then jumped down from the trees and landing directly behind the pair instantly causing them to turn around. "It's just a stupid cat," Kisame remarked.

"What did I tell you about insulting me, Kisame, nya?" Cheshire asked turning human.

"What brings you to this forest?" Itachi asked.

"Hmm? Oh, I believe that isn't any of your business; I'm going to meet someone, but I have time to kill. I saw you two and wanted to kill some time," Cheshire shrugged.

"Well this isn't your lucky day because we now were ordered to bring you in if we ran into you again," Kisame grinned.

"Tell you what, I will come with you _if_ you can beat me in a game," Cheshire grinned widely.

"What..._game_ will we be playing," Itachi asked with his eyes narrowed.

"It's a game of riddles; you win I will come with you without a struggle. If I win, however, you will leave me alone, nya," Cheshire bargained matching his glare.

"So this is Cheshire. **How annoying...**' Zetsu noted coming out of the ground.

Cheshire blinked as she stared at him, "That would be a handy disguise to have..."

"Itachi, Kisame, bring her back for interrogation. **We need to find out-**"

"Bored; I think I'm just gonna leave and say fuck this..." Cheshire interrupted starting to turn invisible.

"We'll agree to your terms," Itachi said.

Cheshire grinned before grabbing a tree branch and hung upside down, "Fabulous, meow! Okay, I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I, nya?"

"This is stupid; wouldn't it be easier if we just attack?" Kisame asked.

Zetsu sunk back into the ground before appearing right behind Cheshire to grab her; unfortunately for him he wasn't really aware of her teleporting abilities until she vanished and appeared on a tree across the way. "Uh-uh-uh, no you don't," Cheshire winked.

"We can't attack for that reason..." Itachi remarked.

Cheshire's eyes narrowed in Itachi's direction,_ 'He's either trying to figure something out or he saw what Nekomimi was talking about...I can't teleport anymore in front of them...'_ "Do you have an answer, nya?" she asked.

"It's the letter 'e'," Itachi replied.

"Very good!" the cat girl said, "Now it's your turn!"

Itachi paused to think, "At night they come without being fetched. By day they are lost without being stolen. What are they?"

"Easy, they're stars," Cheshire replied hanging on a branch with her arms. "Now, the person who makes it, sells it. The person who buys it never uses it, and the person who uses it doesn't know they are. What is it?"

"A coffin," Kisame answered.

Cheshire nodded, "It is."

"I am always hungry, I must always be fed, the finger I touch, will soon turn red," Itachi said.

Cheshire sat on the ground while thinking. Her lips moved to the words that Itachi said. After about a minute of silence Itachi spoke, "Time's up, what's your answer?"

"Fire, meow; I wanted to make you think you had me stumped," Cheshire grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, just ask a question," Kisame said impatiently.

Cheshire brushed by the pair and looked at them irritably, "You can't rush me, nya. And my question is, what is in my pocket?"

"That's cheating," Itachi said.

"No, it isn't. Kisame told me to ask a question; that's my question, what is in my pocket?" Cheshire grinned. "You have three guesses."

"Is it a kunai?" Kisame asked.

Cheshire shook her head, "Nope."

"How about a scroll?" Zetsu guessed. "**You idiot, a scroll couldn't fit in her pocket.**"

"Interesting, split personalities," Cheshire said. "But no, that's incorrect. One more guess."

"Catnip?" Itachi guessed.

Cheshire grinned before shaking her head, "Sorry, you lose." She then turned invisible, "Now you have to leave me alone."

"Actually, we don't. You said nothing about questions; we only agreed to a game of riddles," Itachi remarked.

Cheshire didn't say anything else as she left the three Akatsuki member to head to the village. She smirked as she pulled out Itachi's Akatsuki ring and glanced down at it, _'They truly are fools.'_ She wasn't aware of the smirking Itachi that was left behind though.

She laughed some as she teleported to the outskirts of Konoha; it was sunset though so she still had some time to kill. _'I haven't seen Kakashi in a while...'_ she thought as she entered the village.

With her destination in mind she headed to the training grounds where she thought he might be; sure enough he was looking at the KIA memorial stone. Cheshire walked up behind him, "Your friends were killed in action?"

"I was wondering when you would return, Cheshire," Kakashi remarked.

"I miss you guys, meow," Cheshire said turning visible. "I just had a run in with the Akatsuki; I believe their hideout is somewhere close to my forest..."

Kakashi's head snapped in Cheshire's direction, "Where is your forest."

"It's between the Storm and Rain Villages; I'm not sure if my theory is correct or not, but they're looking for me now as well as for the tailed beasts..." the cat girl mentioned looking over the stone.

"Why are they after you?" Kakashi questioned.

"I'm not too sure, but I think it has to do with the information that I have, meow."

"I want to thank you," the masked ninja said after a moment of silence.

"For what, meow?" Cheshire asked looking up at him.

"If it wasn't for you revealing the truth to Sasuke about his brother I fear darkness would have consumed him entirely; now he just seems upset that he was lied to by his brother. You also changed everyone in a way for the better," Kakashi replied.

The cat girl looked down, "While this is true, you do realize with Itachi in the Akatsuki he can't escape; he's now a dog for them instead of this village."

"I figured as much..." the Copy Ninja commented.

"I'm going to see if Jiraiya is anywhere in town and if I can't find him can you give him this information?" Cheshire asked turning back invisible.

Kakashi nodded, "I certainly will; it was nice seeing you again. Be careful."

Cheshire had lied about looking for Jiraiya, but it was the perfect excuse to escape talking to Kakashi and to wait for Sasuke. The red head had told Nekomimi about bringing a human home to train him and she flipped at the information. It had been years since the black haired Neko had seen a human let alone talked with one so this was all frightening for her. It was now night and Cheshire had taken a seat a little ways from the front gate to wait for Sasuke; she was bored and tired so she wanted him to hurry. Ten minutes past and Cheshire was about to go look for the young Uchiha when she heard him. "Cheshire, where are you?" she heard him call.

Cheshire turned visible right in front of Sasuke, "Here; you ready to go?"

Sasuke nodded before Cheshire grabbed hold of the young Uchiha's hand and teleported them outside of her forest. "From here we have to travel on foot; the Akatsuki have been looking for me so I must be cautious, meow," Cheshire remarked. "Also, I'll go ahead and inform you that I found an old friend of mine who happens to be a Neko as well."

"So you live in this forest?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah; it's not much, but it's been home since the day I was born," the Neko replied.

"So you know more about being alone than I do..." Sasuke commented.

"Indeed," she replied leading the way to the hidden entrance.

When we arrived at the entrance Sasuke looked confused. Cheshire laughed a bit as she moved the grass out of the way to reveal a tunnel of tree roots. Sasuke gaped at the sight of the hidden route. Cheshire lead him further in until the old moss-covered tree homes were in sight. "Welcome to our old Clan home," she said with a smile. "I figured it would be better if we trained at a place that no one could easily find, meow."

Nekomimi came out of the Cheshire side of the small homes and froze when she saw Sasuke. "Cheshire, this is..!" she began.

"Yes, this is the only survivor of the Uchiha Massacre and the person I'm going to train," Cheshire confirmed.

* * *

**I know you're thinking Itachi would have noticed his ring missing, but here's a spoiler: he let her take the ring. That's all I'm saying :) now, about the ending, I didn't want to go into too much detail on the training just yet so I was going to wait until the next chapter or so. I hope you liked this update and the story is enjoyable.**

**Please review :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Dangers of Lightening

**The next chapter is now out! I hope readers have enjoyed the story so far because I'm enjoying typing it and all. Ideas keep on coming to me so I've been able to update daily.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

"Stay focused; you can successfully teleport like a Neko if you think your destination and warp your chakra," Cheshire instructed standing ten feet away from Sasuke.

The young Neko had taught Sasuke how to master over 100 jutsu and now for the past week she had been working on teaching him to teleport. Sure it used quite a bit of chakra, but it was more reliable than actually travelling on foot. Sasuke nodded as he once again focused, his mind was locked two feet away from his trainer in the field of the Neko compound. _'You can do it; just stay focused...'_ Cheshire thought.

Sasuke's body flickered a bit before flickering once more; however, he wasn't successful with the moving. He groaned in frustration. "You're doing great, meow. Try it again," the red headed Neko instructed.

Sasuke once again became focused before he flickered, vanished, and reappeared right in front of Cheshire. Said Neko beamed before hugging him, "You did it, meow! I'm so proud!"

The young Uchiha blinked at the sudden hug; he wasn't sure what to do.

Cheshire let go and cleared her throat, "I'm sorry, nya. I'm going to fill you in on a little secret though about that ability; for the average shinobi it takes up to normally a year to be able to even get their bodies to flicker and you completed it in a week. You're getting stronger."

A ghost of a smile formed on Sasuke's face, "I guess it was a good idea to take you up on your offer; in a month I learned new techniques and mastered a technique only known by the Neko species."

"I think you've earned a break for the day; tomorrow I'll tell you how to disappear, meow," the Neko said stretching.

Sasuke nodded before the pair headed inside the old Neko homes. Nekomimi smiled, "Congratulations on succeeding, nya."

"Thanks," Sasuke replied.

Nekomimi and Sasuke were on better terms now and the black haired Neko was starting to get over her fear of humans. When Nekomimi told this news to Cheshire she was relieved. Nekomimi was still cautious, but nowhere near as frightened. The fourteen year old Neko was also starting to hum again; it seems things were slowly getting better. Cheshire blinked when she realized Itachi's ring wasn't in her pocket; they needed something to eat anyways, so she might as well get it. "Hey, I'm gonna go catch something to eat, nya," Cheshire said before once again going outside.

She picked up the ring that was laying on the ground where she hugged Sasuke before leaving the safety of the hidden area. Once outside she walked in the direction of the nearest stream. "Such a lovely day, nya..." she stated out loud.

"Too bad it's gonna be fucking ruined," she heard a response.

Cheshire froze before looking to her left; not but twenty feet away were two Akatsuki member. One was tall, tan, and had green, blood-shot eyes; the other had slicked back silver hair and magenta eyes. Cheshire instinctively turned invisible and carelessly darted back to the safety of the hidden compound. "Nekomimi! Take the scrolls and Sasuke and get out of here now!" Cheshire shouted.

"Why, what's going on?" Nekomimi asked poking her head out the door.

"Just do it! Two Akatsuki is what's going on right now!" Cheshire panicked racing inside.

Nekomimi's eyes went wide before she obediently snapped to send the scrolls to a safe locations; she then ran to the other side of the homes, grabbed Sasuke, and was about to disappear when she heard footsteps on the ground just outside the home. "What's going on?" Sasuke asked.

"Shh!" Nekomimi insisted seeing the two males walking towards the houses. Without another thought she looked at Sasuke, "Where's the safest place you know to hide and get help, meow?"

"Konoha," Sasuke replied.

Nekomimi nodded before teleporting them both to the human village. Cheshire quietly sighed in relief before turning her attention back to the two members. "Who would have thought that a fucking small village used to fucking be here," the silver haired male said.

"Shut up, Hidan," the tan one said, "We are here to bring back that _thing_ for interrogation."

_'That _thing_?'_ Cheshire thought before glaring daggers at him.

"Fuck you, Kakuzu!" Hidan shouted.

Kakuzu looked up at all the homes, "She's somewhere in their..."

"No shit!" Hidan said.

Cheshire was still fuming about the 'thing' comment so she did one of the most stupid things she could have done; she jumped out of the homes and onto the grass. As began walking closer to the pair she allowed herself to become visible, "You know, that wasn't very smart of you to insult me, meow. Not only did you put me in a bad mood, but I have no intentions of letting that _'thing'_ comment slide."

"You're the one who foolishly took Itachi's ring; we were able to track you after he let you take it," Kakuzu remarked.

"Let me just sacrifice this bitch to-"

Before Hidan could finish his sentence Cheshire had teleported right next to him and round-house kicked him straight in the head sending him back a few feet and knocking him to the ground. "Ouch! Damn bitch that fucking hurt!" Hidan said rubbing the side of his head.

"None of your organization has seen me serious, meow; I suggest that if you don't want to end up in a hospital that you take me seriously," Cheshire stated; her emerald cat-like eyes were in a sharp glare. She was ready for a fight.

"Don't get cocky," Kakuzu said swinging a punch.

Cheshire teleported away before bicycle kicking him which caught him slightly off guard. The red headed Neko had noticed the hardening taking place which prevented her from doing much damage. _'So he's an Earth element shinobi...'_ she thought.

"I'm not going to lie, your kicks do pack a punch; but they are useless against me," Kakuzu said.

Hidan got up and began swinging his scythe while grinning, "I'm going to sacrifice your ass to Jashin-sama!"

Cheshire easily dodged Hidan's oncoming attacks, _'All I can do is dodge; I need to turn that around.'_ She then teleported behind Hidan. "Meow," the cat girl said before Sparta-kicking him away.

"That ability of yours is handy," Kakuzu said. "Hidan, let's get this over with." He then took off his Akatsuki cloak and tendrils shot out of his body too quickly for Cheshire to dodge.

Cheshire yelped in surprise as one grabbed her by the ankle and flung her into a nearby tree. "Not gonna lie, but that's also handy. So tell me, those masks on your back, what are they, nya?" Cheshire asked getting up.

She noticed Hidan advancing towards her out of the corner of her eye and flipped over him just as he swung and landed on the other side. "Quit fucking playing games and fucking get serious, bitch!" Hidan shouted.

A grin spread across Cheshire's face, "You want me to get serious, meow? Fine, I'll try to end this quickly."

The red headed Neko turned invisible as she laughed a bit.

"Where they fuck are you, you damn coward?!" Hidan said looking around.

Cheshire snuck up on Hidan before grabbing hold of his neck and breaking it. She then let him fall to the ground before turning visible once again, "One down, one to go."

"Don't be too fucking sure," she heard Hidan say.

Cheshire looked down at the Jashinist with wide eyes, "You're immortal?"

"Very fucking good. By the way, bitch, that fucking hurt," Hidan grinned as he got up.

The cat girl was too stunned to notice Kakuzu's fist flying through the air until it came into contact with her cheek and sent her a good few feet away. Another fist came flying but she teleported a safe distance away only to be pegged with Hidan's foot snapping a rib. Cheshire looked between the two and bit her lip and turned invisible, _'This isn't good at all...I can't go anywhere or they might be able to find me...'_ She then reached into her pocket and pulled out Itachi's ring.

Knowing how much trouble the ring was she threw it with all of her strength and pegged Hidan in the eye. "What the fuck?!" said male exclaimed.

"Shut up Hidan; she knows she's in trouble," Kakuzu said. "Get ready for our combo."

"Yeah, Yeah, what the fuck ever," Hidan said dismissively.

A mask then extended from Kakuzu's back and formed a black body. Cheshire ran at Hidan and kicked him dead in the face only to be hit by a intense lightening attack that forced her into being visible from the electricity messing with her body. The cat girls body shook with tremors from the aftershock of the electric attack. "Seems like you're weak against my lightening attacks," Kakuzu said as he approached.

Cheshire began to teleport when another lightening attack hit her causing her to randomly to teleport right in front of Hidan. Her body then began to randomly flicker and vanish in the same spot on and off; and it wasn't her entire body, it was only in some places. Fear began to grip her heart causing her to randomly teleport on a tree branch, _'What's going on?!'_

"Quick, Hidan, grab her," Kakuzu ordered.

The red headed Neko began climbing the tree as fast as she could in her condition but was cut off by the Jashinist. "Get away!" Cheshire shouted before her body flickered, vanished, and disappeared from the Akatsuki's view.

She didn't know where she ended up, but she was aware of the scolding heat and the bright sun that shined in her shut eye lids. She couldn't move from the two electrical attacks and the broken rib she had; Cheshire was only grateful to be safe from the Akatsuki for the time being. "Cheshire..? Hey, can I get some help over here?!" a familiar voice said. Cheshire then blacked out.

**Meanwhile in Konoha...**

Nekomimi had teleported herself and Sasuke straight to Konoha's gates before they both darted in and headed straight for the Hokage's building. "What about Cheshire?" Sasuke asked.

"She should be fine, but that doesn't mean that I'm not worried for her..." Nekomimi replied.

All of a sudden a loud, blonde boy jumped in front of the pair, "Why did you run off like that, Sasuke?!"

"Naruto, I don't have time right now; Cheshire is in danger," Sasuke said irritably.

"Since when do you care about someone outside of your team?" Naruto asked.

"That's none of your business!" Sasuke shouted darting past Naruto.

"I'm sorry, I'll explain later," Nekomimi bowed before following after Sasuke.

It wasn't long before the pair was standing in front of an irritated Tsunade. "You better have an explanation for barging into here and for leaving the village, Sasuke," the Fifth Hokage said.

"Cheshire is in danger; the Akatsuki had found her and attacked!" Sasuke said unaware of Kakashi entering the room as well.

"Wait, you said Cheshire is being attacked?!" Kakashi asked.

Nekomimi nodded, "Yes, they must have seen her when she went to get us food, meow."

Kakashi looked at Nekomimi with a confused look, "I thought Cheshire was the last of her kind?"

"She didn't know I went into hiding..." the black haired Neko said.

"I think Cheshire's theory about the hideout being close to their forest is indeed true," Sasuke said. "Oh, by the way, I left only to train and learn new jutsu. Cheshire taught me some 100 jutsu and how to teleport."

"Kakashi, round up a few people to go with these to back to the forest. When you return I want an explanation," Tsunade ordered.

"Sasuke, go get Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru; I'll go get Team Gai," Kakashi said before leaving.

Sasuke nodded before he left to round up the three mentioned; pretty soon the teams were gathered at the Gates of Konoha. "Now, did either of you see the fighting style of either of the members?" Kakashi asked.

"No, Nekomimi had me teleported here by then," Sasuke replied.

"Where was the attack?" Shikamaru asked.

"At our old home," Nekomimi replied.

"Don't worry, we'll rescue Cheshire for sure," Naruto said placing a hand on Nekomimi's shoulder.

"...Thank you," the black haired Neko replied.

_'We're on our way, Harumi,'_ Sasuke thought. _'Hang in there...'_

* * *

**I know this chapter is short compared to the others, but I felt like this was a good time to end it. Cheshire's cockiness finally got the better of her to the point it put her life in danger. Also, Sasuke has given Cheshire a name :3**

**Now I had an interesting idea. Some arcades have actual video games, right? Well what if I were to do a crossover with Wreck-it-Ralph and Naruto? I could use the Ninja Storm 3 and have it a newer game after the movie takes place. I don't know how it would work, but I just thought of it.**

**Anyways, please review and let me know about the 'Wreck-it-Ralph' idea :)**


	13. Chapter 13: Search and Rescue

**Before you read this chapter, check back on chapter 12; I added something at the end of the chapter. If you don't you'll be slightly confused at first. I worked on this chapter all day but I believe this story will be coming to an end here soon because of ideas not coming to me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

The young, red headed Neko felt a pulling in her chest causing her to wake from her slumber. Her eyes remained shut since she was able to see bright lights behind her eye lids. _'What is this sensation..? I have the urge to go to Sasuke,'_ she thought.

"We still can't hook her up to put water in her system; Cheshire's body still flickers and turns invisible if we even try," a voice that the Neko recognized said.

_'Cheshire? No...that's not my name anymore. I'm now Harumi...'_ she thought before cracking her eyes to see none other than Temari standing over the bed.

The girl once known as Cheshire blinked when her eyes locked onto a needle about to be put in her arm. An ear-splitting scream was heard before Harumi began scampering out of the bed while her body was flickering and unknowingly teleported on top of a tall shelf, "You keep that needle away from me, meow!"

"You're dehydrated so we were only trying to get fluids into your body!" Temari said.

"I don't care, nya!" Harumi shouted back.

Footsteps were heard as they approached the room and there stood none other than Kankuro. "Good, you're finally awake. I found you outside of the Sand Village on my way back from a mission. What happened?"

"I was attacked by an organization that wants me from knowing too much; got hit by a lightening attack and now my body has been randomly teleporting and flickering...it scares me, nya..." Harumi replied as her body randomly flickered and teleported her to the sink counter.

"Kankuro, go get Cheshire something to drink," Temari said.

"My name's no longer Cheshire..." Harumi mentioned looking over at her.

"What do you mean?" the blonde questioned.

"...Nekos can be claimed by giving them a name; Sasuke named me Harumi," the red head replied.

"You're in touch with Sasuke still?" Kankuro asked.

"I've been training him," she replied.

The young puppeteer nodded before obeying his sister. "We've been wondering how you were. I know you're listed in the Bingo Book for knowing too much, but that doesn't matter to Kankuro, Gaara, and me," Temari said leaning against the counter.

"Why is that, nya?" Harumi asked

"You and Naruto saved Gaara from darkness; you understood his pain in a way," the blonde answered.

The Neko looked down and watched her hands flicker, "I don't know what's happening to me; I'm frightened..."

Temari frowned as Kankuro came back with a cup of water and handed it to Harumi. Said Neko took the glass and drank all the water. "It's good to see you," she heard none other than Gaara say.

Harumi looked at the doorway and half-smiled, "It's nice to see you again on better terms than last time..."

A look of confusion came over Gaara's face as Harumi's body randomly flickered and vanished on and off in place. "What's going on?" the Sand Chuunin asked.

"I was attacked and a lightening attack did this to me, meow," Harumi said.

"We need to see if anyone can possible fix this..." Temari mentioned to Gaara.

Gaara nodded, "Cheshire, we need you to stay in this room until you hear word from us."

"It's no longer Cheshire; my names now Harumi, and I'll stay, nya," the Neko said going to the bed and sitting down.

The three siblings then left the room leaving Harumi to think to herself.

**Meanwhile...**

Kakashi and the rest of the group were about half way to the Nekos' old home; they were traveling for two days now. "So now the Akatsuki are after Cheshire as well as Naruto..." Gai said.

"So they are after her just for information?" Neji asked.

"It doesn't make sense if it's just for information or they'd be after everyone else who was a witness to the information," Kakashi said.

"I think I might have been the cause; when I went to find Naruto I had mentioned Harumi sneaking past the Anbu," Sasuke added.

"You gave her a name, nya?!" Nekomimi exclaimed.

Everyone looked between Sasuke and Nekomimi in confusion. "I didn't mean to name her, it just came out in my head," the young Uchiha said.

"What's the big deal about naming her?" TenTen asked.

Nekomimi sighed, "The Nekos are a species that take pride in being free and not being tied to humans. Over time, however, humans found a way to basically claim Nekos as their own. When a human names one of us, with the exception of the Main Branch, we become the humans property; the human becomes the Neko's master and we must obey without question to the order regardless of what it is, meow. In a way it is disgraceful to our kind because it forces us into something and we are no longer free."

"Why would you want to name a Neko?!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.

"Naruto, calm down; the act is a subconscious one. I guess Harumi now had told me about the different branches and explained that the human doesn't always think about it when they name a Neko. More often than not they call out the name whenever the Neko is injured or is in some form of danger as in this case," Kakashi explained.

"Only every now and then were Neko's named for evil purposes, but those that were used for corrupt acts were killed by their own bodies, meow," Nekomimi said.

"You mean their bodies would just die?" Lee asked.

"Yes, because the Neko race has always lived to guide humans and to protect them from any harm," the black haired Neko answered. "If a Neko turns corrupt or is used for evil purposes their body will receive the mark of deception and eventually it will turn black and eat away their body and it will kill them, meow."

"How much further?" Naruto asked.

Nekomimi darted ahead of the group, "Follow me, meow; it's not noticeable to the eye of most humans."

Sasuke caught up to Nekomimi since he knew where to go as well. Soon the group arrived at the wall of grass. "Stop joking around where is it?!" Naruto exclaimed

The black haired Neko shook her head as she moved the grass out of the way, "It's through here."

Kakashi nodded before the group entered and looked at the torn up areas of the ground where the fight had taken place. "She challenged them..." Kakashi sighed.

Shikamaru examined all the areas where the feet were and the other imprints from the battle. Sasuke ran into the homes hoping to find his friend. "They were definitely fighting, but I'm not sure what happened..." the genius of the group announced.

Neji activated his Byakugan and scanned the area, "I don't see anyone here..."

"Don't tell me we were too late, nya..." Nekomimi said as tears threatened to fall.

Kakashi summoned Pakkun, "Pakkun, look for a scent that smells similar to Nekomimi over here."

Pakkun nodded before heading over to the Neko. Nekomimi hissed at the approaching dog as her ears went back and tail puffed up, "Better keep your distance, mutt."

"You're lucky I can smell her from here," Pakkun said before smelling the ground. "The strongest scent I have is coming from that tree; it's as if she just disappeared."

Nekomimi collapsed as she sighed with relief, "I'm so glad to hear..."

"Someone was hit with a lightening attack," Shikamaru concluded.

"Where would she have teleported though?" Nekomimi asked.

"That's a good question..." Gai agreed.

"For now let's go back to Konoha until we get word with what happened," Kakashi said sending Pakkun away.

Nekomimi grabbed hold of Neji and Lee's hands, "Everyone hold on, please. Sasuke, can you help me teleport the group, nya?"

Sasuke did as told and soon everyone was holding on in some form or fashion. "Sasuke, we're going to the gates of Konoha; don't get distracted or you could end up killing someone, meow."

Sasuke nodded before concentrating and soon the large group twisted and turned until they found themselves standing in front of Konoha. Sakura and Naruto had their hands on their knees and TenTen emptied her stomach along with Gai. "That sure messes with your stomach..." Lee said feeling a bit nauseous.

The group made their way to the Hokage tower for their report. "I'm guessing your mission was unsuccessful?" Tsunade said.

"Yes, but how did you know?" Sakura asked.

"The Sand Village contacted me yesterday after you set out; apparently she had teleported to the gate unconscious," the Hokage replied. "A shinobi squad is currently escorting her to the Leaf Village."

Kakashi sighed in relief, "Good to know it was nothing series."

"You spoke too soon," Tsunade said.

Sasuke looked at her, "What do you mean?"

"She needs medical treatment; apparently during the fight with the Akatsuki members she was struck by lightning and it caused her body to randomly teleport her anywhere without warning and it causes parts of her body to 'flicker' as they described it," the blonde woman replied.

Nekomimi stared wide-eyed at the Hokage, "This has only happened once before and the person was..." she shuddered at her thought.

"The person was what?" Naruto asked.

"...Executed," Nekomimi replied.

Sasuke's head snapped in the black haired Neko's direction, "Why?"

"He became shunned by the other members of our clan since they weren't sure if it was a disease or contagious. No one could find a cure for it so because of being shunned he begged for death, meow," she replied.

Naruto looked down at the floor, "We will find a way to save her. She saved so many of us by showing us the truth and even saved friends from darkness; we owe her a great dept."

"We do indeed," Kakashi agreed.

Tsunade nodded, "As soon as she arrives I'll examine her and see if I can do anything to help."

Nekomimi bowed, "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

* * *

**I am aware that this is a short chapter, but like I said ideas are not coming to me. I might do a huge time-skip after a couple of chapters or end the story shortly. Let me know what you think.**


	14. Universal AN

Hello readers, I have unfortunate news; I am not in an anime mood. If I am to work on any fan fictions, they will strictly be either my own stories taking place with pure OCs and nothing more, or in books or things not related to anime. Right now I'm reading the Demonata series and I am completely into the first book. If you like stories of demons, werewolves, and gore, you should check the books out. For Akatsuki Horses: Outtakes, if you want to see something please inform me because I will not be working on it for a while along with my Akatsuki Kitten story. I'm getting into a pokemon mood as well, and if I am going to start a fan fiction on that it will be an OC syle story as well.

As for the stories that I have removed, I did so because I'm still not happy with where they were going. I feel like they can be more detailed still and need more of a story line behind them.

I apologize yet again my lovelies and let me know if you want me to update sooner.


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